Past, Present, Future
by xokatherine229
Summary: Sakura is thrown into the past. Having no idea why she is here or what to do. She now has to live with the Uchiha's and try not to change the past, hence that would change her future. But will love interfer? ItachiXSakura
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Notes: **_So I know wat you are thinking right now. "Ahh its another time jumping flic where Sakura and Itachi fall for each other". But if you noticed, every story with a time skip thing has a different adventure. And truth be told, once I read some time skipping stories I wanted so badly to write one. So know I am! Now enough of me babbling! Time for the story!!

'_Thoughts' _**'Things that will stand out' **"Talking"

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Deep into the forest of Kohana, a girl about the age of 13 falling from the sky. Yes, you heard right. She is falling from the sky.

Sadly she didn't get to feel the way of flying through the air for long because she landed down on the forest ground in a matter of seconds. She bent her knees in a little so the shock of hitting a ground from a high jump was absorbed.

'_Where am I?'_

She looked around, trying to get a feel of where on earth she was at. Expanding her chakra she didn't feel anything or anyone chasing her hence making her way out of the forest.

Before long, she was out of the forest and came face to face with the Gates of Kohana.

'_Oh so I was in Kohana's woods. I should of known. How stupid of me. But wait a minute….I was on my back from Stone after completing a mission having to deal with Orochimaru. I was no where near Kohana. Oh well. I do not sense any genjutsu and I know it is the real deal since in the right hand corner there is a tiny carving of the symbol for strength next to the detailed gate's hinges.'_

Taking a big sigh she walked up to the gate, but stopped suddenly.

'_No way are those missing ninja going to attack Kohana!'_

With her emerald eyes blazing with determination, she took off as fast as she could, without any effort at all. Making a cloud of smoke trail behind her.

It didn't take her long to meet up with the missing-nin. But what surprised her was that they were from Mist.

'_Tsunade-shisui said that the conflict with Mist was solved when we where Genin. Why are they attacking now?'_

"Hey girly….Move out of the way." Said one of the three Missing-nin from Mist.

The girl looked at them with a cold stare. Mocking them, egging them on. Telling them if they tried anything, they will get beat. And badly.

"First off. My name isn't girly. It's Sakura. And two. I suggest you leave now before I kick your sorry excuse for an ass."

"Oh I like her. She is feisty!" Said another one.

The leader of the bunch, so what Sakura could figure out, shook his head and stepped forward. "I don't give a damn what she is. Kill her so we can continue on our way to destroying Kohana."

Sakura's eyes snapped wide and she unsheathed her long slim sword. "You will have to get threw me first if you want to attack Kohana."

"Just one of you….Against all three of us?"

"Oh well, she asked for it."

"We will dispose of you, and then we will get on with our task. You know to much anyway. And with that tiny little sword, you will not last long."

Sakura just smiled at them and shook her head. _'Stupid men. Do they not know that my specialty is quick and painful? Oh well, they are the ones who will die.'_

**-------------------------------------In the forest where Sakura was just at­--------**

Deep into the forest a Jonin Team of four was running through the forest, wanting desperately to get home. The team's Captain stopped them, having a feeling something wasn't right. The other three looked around cautiously and gasped.

"That tension is close and that powerful Chakra is unbelievable." Said Nao, the team's best weapons expert, well next to the Captain of course.

"Hey guys….." said Ena, the team's best tracker. Trying to get their attention.

"What is it Ena-San?" Asked Kana, the team's best distraction maker.

The Captain turned to his team, even though he was the youngest out of all of them, they still respected him. "There is blood in the air. A lot of it."

The three turned to their Captain as he motioned for them to follow behind him. They arrived at a huge opening in the woods, but what was strange was that it wasn't from nature. It was man made.

The Captain sent Ena a look and Ena glanced around the sight. "There is no one else here. Just these four. And it seems that they are either dead or unconscious."

Nao looked at the Captain and sighed. "Itachi-San….this destruction…was made from weapons. Except the trees. They were pulled out from the ground."

Kana looked at Nao with a astounded look. "Impossible. No one has that kind of strength to pull a huge tree straight out of the ground. It is impossible."

"Enough. We will go down and inspect." Itachi ordered out. Having his whole team nod in acceptation. "If you find out anything. Tell me immediately."

When they all jumped down from the trees it was surprising that they could stomach, for what they saw was horrible. Three men, with the Mist headbands around their arms, were cut up and bruised everywhere. Every bone in their body looked like it was broken, beyond repair, and with the trees lying around. Lets just say it didn't add to make the scene any more prettier.

Kana walked up to the men and checked their pulses. As soon as she did, she turned pail. "Their dead." She said in a flat tone.

Ena was checking out the battlefield while Nao ran to Kana to see who exactly they were.

'_This is some heavy duty damage. Like Nao said, the trees were pulled out of the ground, kunai's in the tree's puddles of blood are everywhere. Who could cause this much destruction. Normal Mist nin can not cause this much blood shed.'_

Ena couldn't examine the battle anymore since Nao called all of them over.

"What did you find Nao." Itachi demanded. Trying to piece all the puzzle pieces together, trying to figure out what exactly happened here.

Nao turned to all of them and sighed. "They are the three missing nin that the hunter ninja's have been looking for. Some said they wanted to attack Kohana, but someone stopped them."

"What do you mean by **someone**?" Kana asked.

"It takes more than one person to kill one Missing nin. Let alone **three** of them." Ena added.

"How do you know only one person killed the three of them." Itachi commanded.

Ena turned to Itachi. "If you look at the tracks the Mist nin all have the same foot imprints, just different sizes, but there is only one different type of shoe imprint."

"Hn." Itachi said.

'_So three Mist-nin's came wanting to attack Kohana, but someone got in their way and disposed of them. The only question that remains is who and why.'_

"Team. Search and split up. Look to see if the person who did this is still around or even alive. When you do. Send a chakra signal and we all will come."

"Hai!" They all said as they all defused into the trees.

It was a couple of hours before anyone found anything and when Nao did, boy was he shocked. Right as he saw a girl laying in a pile of her own blood he sent the chakra signal as quick as he could.

"What did you find Nao?" Kana asked.

"What could it be?" Ena mumbled to herself.

Itachi looked at Nao and he lead them to the girl. When he did everyone's eyes went wide.

There laid a girl around 13 in her own pool of blood. She wore a brown three quarter sleeves short hoodie with a orange tank top. Her lower half had black border shorts with a kunai holster tapped to her right leg. In her hand was a thin sword, that looked like it would break any moment, with blood covering the blade. They all focused their attention on her face, but couldn't see anything since a brown hood, thank to the hoodie, was covering her face.

"Go tell the Hokage what we found. I will take care of her." Itachi said, as his team went off to tell the Hokage.

'_Who are you? You couldn't have killed these three impossible to catch Missing-nin. Intriguing.'_

Itachi didn't waist anytime and scooped up the girl bridal style and dashed away into the forest. Realizing how light she was in the process.

-----------**The Uchiha District**---------------

Itachi ran through his neighborhood with the bloodied girl in his arms. Some of his aunts and uncles gave him a confused look while others smiled at the cute sight. Hoping that the Uchiha heir finally found someone to share his thrown with.

He just brushed off their stares and ran to his house. His little brother Sasuke was sitting on the steps watching his mom water her garden.

"Okaa-San! Look Itachi-neesan is back!" Little Sasuke yelled

Mikoto turned around to see her sun running up to her, but once she looked at what he was holding in his arms her expression turned from happy to concerned.

"Sasuke! Go get me my medic bag!"

"Hai!"

Itachi came up to his mother and saw her looked at the girl in his arms.

"Itachi! Where did she come from? How did this happen? Do you know her?" Mikoto said, her eyes glinting something when she asked her last question.

Itachi groaned at his mothers hints. _'Great. All ready she is hinting something. Women and their assumptions.'_

Sasuke came running out with her bag and in a few moments Mikoto took the girl in the house and started to work on the mystery girl.

A bird flew on Itachi shoulders telling him that the Hokage wanted him.

-------------**At the Hokage's office**-----------------

Itachi came in the door to see Kana, Ena, and Nao sitting waiting for him. The third Hokage gave him a look and Itachi leaned against the wall.

"So….this girl….do we know who she is?"

"No. My mother is taking care of her injuries as we speak." Itachi said.

The third just nodded his head. "How bad is she?"

Nao spoke up. "She has only cuts and bruising."

"She just finished with a battle how can she have such low injuries?" Ena asked.

"Because she was healing herself unconsciously."

"That means she is a medic-nin. And a good one at that." The third said.

"What do you want us to do?" Kana asked.

"When she wakes up. Bring her here Itachi. I want to know what exactly happened."

"Hai." Was all Itachi said as he disappeared from everyone's sight.

-------------------------**Back at the Uchiha Manner**---------------------

'_Ah. What happened?! All I remember is running through the forest, meeting up with some Mist-nin's and beating the shit out of them…..Wait a minute! That is why I am so empty. They put up a good fight for normal Mist-nin. So that leaves a question of where am I?'_

Sakura didn't change her breathing pattern, just incase someone was going to attack her once she was awake. She then had her chakra pour out of her, and masking it so no one could tell she was using it, she looked or chakra signatures. What she found made her gasp.

'_Wait I AM 13! NO NOT AGAIN! I DON'T WANT TO GO THROUGH ALL THAT AGAIN! And, I found Sasuke's chakra….but I have other chakra as well. But Sasuke's chakra is so low compared to what he is now….wait a minute…..I AM IN THE PAST!! HOW THE FUCK DID I GET HERE?!'_

Before Sakura could ponder anything else she heard the door crack open. And then she could hear voices.

"Okaa-San, will she be ok?"

"I think so Sasuke-Chan. She didn't have many injuries, but she had a lot of blood."

"That's because she is a medic." Said a new voice.

'_He is fast. Wonder who he is. Better "wake up" now.'_

Before Mikoto could say "Really?" Sakura started to stur and in a second she was sitting up in the king sized futon.

"Look Okaa-San! She is awake!" Sasuke said as he jumped up on the bed and watched the girl with awe.

"Sasuke-Chan! Give the girl some space!" Mikoto yelled out.

"No. It's ok. I don't mind. I like children anyway." Sakura interjected in a cheery voice. (AN: and nooo she doesn't like him in the pedophile way!)

"Hey! My name is Sasuke!" Sasuke said as he jumped up and down on the bed.

"Nice to meet you Sasuke." Sakura said, smiling. Even though they couldn't see it, since the hood was still on her head.

Mikoto moved over to the girl and placed her hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you remove that hood?"

Sakura gulped. _'What if I see my younger self? Or WORSE! They know who I am and then now I am from the future! What do I do?! I could tell them….but I would have to make up a last name….something common. Itou Sakura, from here but was on a mission. I will need to talk to the Hokage to have him help me.'_

"Dear? Are you ok?" Mikoto asked with concern laced with kindness.

Sakura nodded her head and with shaky hands moved them up to her hood. Taking it slowly she removed her hood to have a room of gasping people. Well mainly Sasuke and Mikoto. Itachi just played emotionless-man and stayed there.

As her hood came down it revealed two bright emerald eyes, filled with spirit and energy. Her pink hair was up in a high pony-tail. Her hair normally up to the tops of her shoulders.

'_She is beautiful!' _Mikoto thought.

"your really pretty!" Sasuke shouted.

Sakura looked at him and smiled. The smile seemed to lighten up the room as she did. "Thank you Sasuke-Kun."

'_Pink hair. I never seen her around before.'_

"Where are you from." Itachi ordered.

Sakura looked at him and smiled. _'I cant show a shocked expression, they will think something and I cant have that. So just smile like you know hoe to do.'_

"I am from Kohana. See." She pointed to her headband and smiled again. "I just came back from a long mission."

'_Interesting. She didn't thrust herself on me like other girls would.'_

"The Hokage said that once you are awake, you have to see him."

Sakura nodded her head and turned to Mikoto. "Did you heal me?"

Mikoto smiled. "Well according to Itachi, my son over here, you healed most of yourself so I only fixed you up a little."

"Thank you very much. But I do not want to intrude so I will not stay long."

Mikoto smiled at her. _'What a polite little girl.' _"Oh do not worry! You don't have to leave! Stay, stay! You don't have anywhere to go do you?"

"No."

"So it is decided! You stay here!"

"Thank you." Sakura said as she hugged the older woman, who returned her hug with one of her own.

--------------------------------------------------------**to be**

**---------continued!!---------------**

**-------------------------------------------------------------**

**Author's note!: SO! **The ever so common time skip story! Just getting started!!

Please review!!!


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Notes: **_**Hey there**** So here is chapter number two! **

**Hope you like it. I know the first chapter was a bit rocky and went by stuff wicked fast, but I was just getting started so give it another chance! **

**Here is Chapter Number TWO!**

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

After Sakura was done hugging Mikoto, they set off to go to the Hokage's tower. Itachi lead the way while Sakura followed next to him.

'_Wow. Kohana is more beautiful than ever.'_ Sakura thought as she looked around in awe at the sights.

Itachi didn't miss that she was in awe over her own village. _'I thought she said she was from Kohana.'_

"You said you are from Kohana."

Sakura looked over to the usually quiet boy and stared at him. "Yeah. And your point is?" Sakura said, attitude evident in her words.

"Why marvel at your own village." Itachi said, turning his head, waiting to see her reaction. Thinking that he would see her eyes go wide and then start to stutter over her words. Unfortunately for him, Sakura wasn't the type.

"Can't I marvel at my own village?! Since when was that a crime!" Sakura yelled at him.

Itachi stared at the pink haired girl in front of him. Never before has he had anyone, let alone a girl, yell at him.

"Hn." Was all he said, trying to figure out how this girl ticked.

Sakura only sighed as she returned to her sight seeing.

It didn't take long for them to get to the Hokage's office. They simply went on the roofs of houses and ran to the Hokage's. Itachi was surprised she could keep up with his paste.

Now here they were, sitting in the Hokage's office. Sakura was facing Itachi and the Third.

When Sarutobi turned around to see the mystery girl, Sakura nearly gasped.

"What's wrong little one? Never seen a Hokage before?" Sarutobi asked in a joking laced with caring tone.

Sakura wanted to smack herself at her gasping. _'Great. Just great.'_

"No. it isn't that. It's just I haven't seen you in a while."

Sarutobi looked at her with confused work but dismissed it. He would get the details from her.

"So, little one, what is your name?" Sartobi asked.

Sakura looked back and forth between Sartobi and Itachi. "My name is Itou Sakura."

Sartobi nodded his head in understanding, while Itachi studdied this girl.

"Well Sakura, mine filling us in about you?"

Sakura gulped. _'If I can't talk to the Hokage before this he would ask when he sent me on a mission. Ger. I'll have to ask him if I could talk to him in private before I answer that.'_

Itachi watched as fear, worry, and asumption crossed her face.

'_She really is a open book. But if she is such an open book, how come I cant figure her out.'_

"Hokage-Sama. Before I answer that I would need to speak to you in private."

Sartobi shook his head. "No. We will dissmiss that for now. Right now, I want to know why my junin team found you in the forest, a few feet away the three Mist-nin."

Sakura grined at him. Very proud that she did apply some damage to them. "They were heading into this village and I didn't allow it so I went to them and took care of them."

Sartobi gasped while Itachi's eyes narrowed a little. How could this girl that was his age kill three missing ninja's?

"Sakura." There was a long silence before he continued. "You are telling me that a 13 year old girl, you, killed the three missing Mist-nin's that some Hunter ninjas have been after for a while?" He finished while looked with disbeleive in his eyes.

Sakura's eyes widened as well. "THEY WERE MISSING MIST-NINJAS?!" Sakura yelled jumping out of her seat.

Sartobi smiled. _'Well it seems this little one still is 13. Unlike Itachi who matured faster than his age.'_

Itachi wanted to smack his head against the wall. But possessing the great Uchiha controlling emotion's, he didn't. _'How could she not have known that they were missing ninja. Unless something else was on her mind.'_

Sartobi looked over to see Itachi just standing, but he knew he was pondering on how this girl didn't know they were missing ninja. Meanwhile, while Sarobi looked at Itachi, Sakura was getting ready to ask to talk to him in private.

"Hokage-Sama. May I talk to you in private now?" Sakura asked, her patience wearing thin.

Sartobi turned his head and nodded towards the pink haired teen. With a wave of his hand Itachi went outside and waited in the front of his office.

"Now, Sakura, why is it important for you and I to talk in private."

Sakura only sighed. "You may think this is weird, but please just listen."

"Oh? You want to tell me that you are from the future."

"You see I'm from…….wait…..How do you know?!" Sakura yelled astounded that he literally took the words out of her mouth.

Sartobi laughed softly. "Sakura. There is only one Sakura and her last name isn't Itou. It's Haruno. Also, I got a letter from Tsunade that you would be visiting me."

Sakura's mouth nearly dropped wide open. "Wait! So that means you know exactly why I am here?!"

"Sakura. Calm down. No I don't know why you are here. All I got was this letter from her that I would be expecting you."

Sakura nodded her head. "May I see the letter?"

"Sure. Maybe you will get more on why you are here than I did."

Sakura nodded her head and Sartobi handed the neatly folded piece of paper to her.

_Dear Sartobi;_

_You probably are wondering why I am writing to you, especially since it is from the future. I can not tell you much, since even I have not much knowledge of this subject. You see Sartobi, I have a feeling that Sakura Haruno will be visting you. I do not know why either, but all I can say is this, She was on a mission from Stone, where a ancient scroll is placed. You know that scroll is used for time travel, so I had Sakura get it. Not trusting anyone else to deliver it to me. Write back and send it with this bird._

_Thanks:_

_Tsunade_

Sakura nearly gasped and the letter fluttered down to the ground.

"So your telling me, that she set this up?"

"I do not think so. She said she didn't trust anyone else to get it, proably since she knew you wouldn't change the past. Having no reason to."

'_He is right. I am already over Sasuke. I realized now that he was just bent on revenge so much there was no turning back. I have no horrible past that I want to change. Tsunade-Shinshu was right.'_

"Now what?" Sakura asked, picking up the letter and handing it back to Sartobi.

"Here is what we will do. I will say that you were sent on a mission, personly from me. You just come back and I guess you will stay with the Uchiha's untill we figure out how to get you back. But there is one thing I'm curious about…"

"And that would be…?"

"I know little about the scroll that Tsunade made you retrive. So your mission for right know is to find as much as you can about that scroll."

"Ok, but know I have one question."

"Yes?"

"What will my rank be?"

Sartobi smiled at her. "You always were a bright one. Before I can tell you that I need to put you with a team. I think that itachi and Kakashi will be good, they need a third member anyway."

"Hai. Thank you very much Hokage-Sama."

"It was my pleasure. Now get out of here before I deam you crazy for staying indoors. It is beautiful out. Enjoy it!"

Sakura flashed him a bright smile and walked out the door. Shutting it behind her. When Sakura emurged out of the Hokage's office, she saw that Itachi was getting harassed by one of his fan girls.

'_This is to funny!'_

Sakura tried to contain her laughter but seeing the energetic red head bouncing around the quiet Uchiha, she couldn't resist.

Her laughter caught Itachi and the red head's attention. Itachi glared at the laughing girl while the red head was getting annoyed.

"What is so funny."

Sakura looked up to see an angered Itachi, glaring at her, and the red head mouthing "Bitch" to her. Sakura jumped to her feet and mouthed back to the girl "Bitch." She then turned her glaze to Itachi and galred right back at him.

Itachi barly smirked at the girls action. _'Interesting. She is challenging me.'_

"Oh come on Itachi-Kun! She isn't worth it!"

Itachi shooed the girl away and she left with a pissed off look. Itachi didn't care, and he intensified his glare, ten fold.

"You think your glare can scare me?!" Sakura said, a sassy smile appearing across her face.

"Your different."

Sakura's glare went soft and she stared into his onix eyes. "What do you mean by that?"

Itachi's smirk started to get broader as he saw her emotions crossing her beautiful pale skin.

"I mean, you don't fear my glare's and your not a fan girl."

Sakura giggled softly at him. "Well for one thing, I have seen more intimidating glare's than yours, and two, I do not see what the point is to be a fan girl. Although I was one at one point. But I got over it."

Itachi's black eye brow went up with curiousity. "For who." He had no idea why he asked that, but he did.

Sakura's head shot straight down and sighed. "From a teammate of mine. All the girls loved him, but his personality….well there really wasn't one there. After being on a team with him, and then seeing him abandom everyone he loved, it was the last straw."

Itachi would of asked more, but the girl took his wrist and ran outside , him trailing after her.

Sakura smiled at how Itachi just let her drag him out of the Hokage's Tower.

'_For a S-Criminal ninja….he is cute. Wait…what am I thinking?! I cant change the past! That will only change the future!'_

She dragged him till they reached the park, and realization hit her that she was still holding the boys wrist. She side glanced at him and let go of his hand, a soft pink blush went across her face. Itachi saw the blush and smirked.

"Itachi-Kun!!!" Shouted someone.

The two turned around to see a blonde girl running full force at him. Sakura noticed that unlike the other fan girls, she was a ninja. She looked over to see Itachi crunge, even though it was very disscreet. She giggled softly earning a glare from Itachi. But Sakura simply stuck her little pink tounge out at him.

The blonde saw that "her" Itachi was talking to some freak with a huge forehead. And the freak had pink hair.

"Itachi-Kun. Why are you talking to this freak." The blonde said, grabbing Itachi's hand and glaring at Sakura.

Sakura laughed at the girl. "I'm a freak? Thanks for the update."

The blonde was getting aggitated and raised her fist up to Sakura. Itachi just stood there, waiting to see what would unfold.

"How dare you! He is mine you…..you….FOREHEAD GIRL!"

Sakura froze in her spot. Her head bent down so all you could see was her bangs shadowing her face.

"Oh look. She is going to cry. Let's go Itachi-Kun. She is a total whimp."

The blonde started to take a step to Itachi, but she didn't get very far because Sakura was right infront of her.

"How did you move so fast?!" The blonde yelled.

'_Hate to say it, but Sakura is fast. Even I didn't see her move that fast, but truth be told I wasn't paying much attention.'_

"Oh what's wrong? Afraid that I actually can stand up for myself?" Sakura said sarcasim exscaping her lips. "Wait, don't even answer that. Just keep this in mind. If you dare call me forehead again. I will make sure to send you to the hospital, striaght to the emergancy room."

The blonde took a big gulp and she ran as fast as she could. Sakura smiled at herself and turned to Itachi, only to see him star right back at her.

"You know staring is rude."

Sakura stook out her tounge at him and they continued down towards the Uchiha Manner.

-----------** The Uchiha District**-------

Itachi lead the way over to his house, having Sakura in tow. Soon a ball came flying at their feet. Itachi turned to his left to see his little brother running over to them. Sakura looked down at the ball and grabbed it.

"Hey Itachi-neesan! Sakura-neechan!" Sasuke yelled running to them.

Itachi nodded his head to his little brother and Sakura smiled at him.

"Hello there Sasuke-kun. Is this your ball?"

Sasuke looked up to see his ball in her hands. "Yeah! Can I please have it back?"

Sakurs knealed down and ruffled his hair, having him grunt in return. "Here you go Sasuke-Kun."

When Sasuke got his ball back, he had to put it away to get ready for dinner. Itachi and Sakura followed Sasuke inside the house. Sakura followed Itachi while she secretly stared and aweed at the elegant mansion.

The three of them arrived at the kitchen to see Mikoto setting the table.

"Sasuke sit down." Mikoto said and when she looked up she saw her son and Sakura there as well. "Well I see Sakura-Chan will be eating dinner with us."

Sakura smiled brightly at the woman and helped her with what ever she needed. Soon dinner was ready. Itachi and Sasuke sat on one end and Mikoto and Sakura set across from them. Fugaku got home just in time and he sat at the head of the table.

While eating Sakura could tell that Fugaku was staring at her, with his intense glaze.

'_Itachi's may not faze me. But Fugaku's does!'_

"Mikoto. Who is this." He said in a sterm, demanting voice.

Sakura looked over to Fugaku, not wanting to have Mikoto answer for her, she stuck out her hand and decided to introduce herself.

"The name is Itou Sakura. The Hokage said I would be living with your family untill I found a place for myself."

'_Actually untill I find out how to get home. But he doesn't have to know that.'_

Fugaku looked at her hand like it was poison and turned his head over to his son. Completely ignoring Sakura, like she was a mere fly on the wall.

'_Well excuse me! How rude.'_

Sakura looked down at her hand and shrugged her shoulders. Fugaku could see her shrugging her shoulders from the corner of his eye.

'_I'll have to ask the Hokage about this later.'_

"Itachi. Did the Hokage tell you about your aplication for ANBU."

"Hn." Itachi said.

Sasuke turned to his dad and smiled. "Dad! I got an A on my test!"

Fuagku didn't turn to his yougest son and he is attention was still on his oldest son.

"You will go into ANBU."

"Hn."

Sakura couldn't believe it. Fugaku tuned out his youngest son and went straight back to pestering Itachi.

'_Way to play favorites. Poor Sasuke. I can see why he was so quiet around us.'_

Mikoto smiled at her youngest son and congradulated Sasuke in a job well done. Then Sasuke asked a question that got the whole table to be dead silent.

"Hey Sakura-neeChan! What where you doing before you came here?"

Sakura stared at him and looked around to see that everyone was wondering it to. Fugaku didn't care though.

'_She is just a weak little girl. Why would the Hokage want her in my household. He knows I don't like weak people.'_

"Um….Well Sasuke-Kun, I was returning from Stone, I had a mission to retrive something."

Sasuke's face light up like a christmas tree. "SO YOU'RE A NINJA JUST LIKE ITACHI-NEESAN?!"

Sakura giggled at how easily he could become happy. "Yes, like your brother."

"Sakura-Chan. What rank are you?" Mikoto asked. She was trying to get her husband to see that she wasn't as weak as he thought she was. Sure her appearance made it seem like she was to small and fragile to be a ninja, but from what she found out when Sakrua and Itachi were gone, she wasn't the bit least weak.

Sakura scratched the back of her head and smiled. "Well, I never raelly have had time to sign up for different rankings, the last time I did I was Chunnin. But I doubt I am still one."

Mikoto's jaw dropped open. "Well then you better sign up for Junin or ANBU!"

Sakura turned pink. "N-No. I don't think I'm strong enough to go into ANBU."

Itachi looked at her with disbelieve. "Bull." He stated angerly.

Sakura turned to him, with a slim pink eye brow raised. "What does that mean?" She said.

'_Why is he mad that I said that I was to weak to join ANBU?'_

"You killed three missing mist ninjas. You would get into ANBU."

Fugaku was shocked that this mere girl killed three missing ninja. Mikoto smiled, happy that her son actually made a friend, and a girl at that. Sasuke stared wide eyed at her, he looked like a fish out of water.

After dinner Mikoto and Sakura washed the dishes while Itachi and Sasuke hung out in the living room. Fugaku went straight to his study and slamed the door. When they were done Mikoto lead Sakura to her room.

"Here is the room you will be staying at. Make yourself at home. I put a tank top and long pants in the closet for your pj's and I got you some new cloths. Since yours are covered in blood and ripped."

"Thank you so much Mikoto. You are truly kind."

Mikoto smiled at Sakura and sighed. "Thank you Sakura-Chan. Dotn worry about my husband, he will turn around, it will come. All in good time."

"Hai."

With that Mikoto waved off and went to tuck Sasuke in bed. When Mikto shut her door, Sakura got dressed in a white tank top and blue long pj pants with the Uchiha symbol on her hip. The tank top had the Uchiha symbol on the back.

'_How ironic is it that I am wearing the Uchiha symbol on? Oh well. Now that everything is solid, all I have to do is research that stupid scroll and see what happenes.'_

With that Sakura drifted off into a deam filled sleep.

---------**With Itachi**-------

Itachi was in his room, laying down on his bed. But he wasn't asleep, no, not one bit. He was too curious with the pink haired beauty across the hall from him.

'_Why am I so curious about you? So you don't have immediate atraction to me, that's good. But you are just a mystery. I will get to the bottem of this……Sakura Itou. If that is even your real name.'_

-----------**to be**

**-----------------continued!!**

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**Author's note: Yo! Hey there! Hope you all liked it! I apologise if Itachi is "out of character" even when he is only 13 yrs old! So please………………….**

**Review!!!!**

**I WOULD LOVE YOU TOO!!**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Author's Notes:**__** Hey there everyone! Look it's a new chapter! Isnt that awesome ?! also I will be going to a beach house and after that school will come up so updates will be wicked slow. God that gets annoying to type, but on that sour note!**_

_**HERE IS THE NEXT CHAPTER! **_

_**THANK YOU ALL WHO ARE REVIEWING! I'M SO SHYED THAT U ALL LIKE IT!**_

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Sakura was tossing and turning around in her bed. She just couldn't go back to sleep. Could you blame her? It's not everyday that you are on a mission trying to obtain a simple scroll, only to find out that she is in the past. She didn't expect to see the people that she thought where either dead or fucking crazy to be right in front of her,

'_Ugh. I'm never going to be able to get sleep now. Might as well wander the house. It wouldn't kill me to wander around, as long as I don't wake anyone up. That would be horrible.'_

With a new destination in mind Sakura got up and opened her room just a crack and with great skill, she exited the door, without having it make any noise.

Her eyes were accustomed to the darkness and she could see where she was. She started to walk down the hallway and she could hear crying. Following the crying she found that it lead her to a room.

'_I wonder who would be crying this late at night.'_

Sakura opened up the door a crack and saw little Sasuke sitting up on his bed. His knees were bent in and his head was resting on his knees.

'_I know that position all to well.'_

"Sasuke-Kun? Are you ok?" Sakura asked in a small whisper.

Sasuke's head rocketed up to see the new guest staring at him. "Don't look at me. I am not crying. What are you talking about." Sasuke said trying to turn his head the opposite way.

Sakura softly giggled at him. "Sasuke-Kun, it's ok. I won't tell if you wont."

Sasuke looked back to her to see her sitting down on his bed. "Sakura-Nee-Chan, I'm sorry. It's just…..Father said that if we cry it means weakness."

Sakura looked down at the poor boy and shook her head. She moved closer to him and captured him in a hug. A very nice content hug, Sasuke noted.

"Sasuke-Kun, listen. If you keep your emotions inside you it will only build and build. Soon you wouldn't be human."

Sasuke looked at her to see her crying. "Nee-Chan? Don't cry! I promise I won't hide my emotions!" Sasuke shouted softly while he leaned into her chest.

Sakura placed her chin on top of his head and smiled. "Why were you crying anyway Sasuke-Kun?"

"I had a nightmare. There was some scary thing that popped out from under my bed and it wanted to eat me!" He said as he tried to hide himself deeper into Sakura's chest.

Sakura giggled softly. "Well it wont hurt you anymore ok?"

Sasuke looked up at her and smiled. "You got that right! Now that you're here it's gone."

Sakura shook her head at him, a smile still grazing her lips. "That's the spirit. I better go and let you sleep."

Sasuke broke away from Sakura and she tucked him snuggly into his blankets. With one last look over her shoulder to smile back at her new little friend to have him smiling back at her.

Exiting Sasuke's room, Sakura turned around only to have someone touching her shoulder. With out warning Sakura grabbed the hand and flipped him down on the ground, not making a huge bang.

"Who are you and what do you want." Sakura said in a warning tone as she pushed all her body pressure over the "attacker". Like a cop does when he is arresting something. Sakura held the man's hands, her breath was close to his ear.

The "attacker" wasn't fazed and flipped their positions. Now he was on top, and Sakura went face first into a chest.

"You shouldn't attack the owner of the house your staying at." Itachi said in a low tone, his breath tickling her ear as well.

Sakura gasped when she realized that she flipped and was questioning Itachi. "Sorry. I didn't know who you were, and it's dark, and well you know better than anyone else that at night your on your guard the most."

Itachi stared down at the girl below him. Her emerald eyes were more dull than they were but he thought that it was because the sun light makes them sparkle that beautiful sparkle.

"Well you should pay more attention." He said as he made his head go lower, he stealthy let his senses be invaded by a strawberry sent.

'_God, her scent is addicting.'_

Sakura gasped when she felt his nose touch her soft, slim neck. "Um, can you get off me?" Sakura said. Surprised that she wasn't stuttering and was so thankful for the darkness because she could feel her cheeks heating up.

Itachi grunted and got up off her. "If you don't want to get in that predicament, then be more aware of your surroundings."

With that Itachi left the pink haired beauty to tend to her own activities. Sakura watched as the soon to be murderer leave her eye sight. Then she sighed and decided to make her way back to her room.

'_That was….interesting. I might as well try to get some sleep now. Although..' _Sakura turned to her left to see an alarm clock that read 3:30 in the morning. _'Great. I guess if I sleep a few more hours then use that sleeping jutsu combined, ill be good to go.'_

When Sakura did her hand signs her head started to glow green and in one swift moment Sakura was out like a light, her head glowing a dull green.

----With Itachi----

After he left Sakura he went back to his room. He shut his door and made his way over to a window.

'_Her scent. Strawberries, how could I have let her flip me? Also how did she make my impact on the floor not echo threw the halls? Sakura, you are very interesting. For once I think I want to actually get to know you more.'_

_­_**----Next Day**----

Sakura woke up with a yawn and started to stretch. Looking to her left she saw it was 7:30. She got out of bed and went to take a shower. The warm water was like a blessing. When she was done, she got dressed in a set of black shorts, orange skirt, and a white shirt. There was a note attached to the cloths though.

Sakura picked up the cloths, placing them on the queen sized futon. Then she took the note and read it.

_**Dear Sakura-Chan,**_

_**I wish I knew that would have a guest because I would of gotten you better cloths. But since I found these, I am giving them to you. Since I didn't have a girl feel free to ask for as much cloths as you like. )**_

_**Mikoto**_

Sakura smiled at the note and put on the cloths. When Sakura turned to her full length mirror to see that the cloths fit her just right. Then she blow dried her long hair, placing it up back into its high pony-tail. Placing her headband in its normal spot surveying as a headband to keep fly-aways, well away. And her bangs came down to frame her face.

'_Well better get down stairs. Everyone should be up by now.'_

Sakura walked down the stairs to see Mikoto, Sasuke, and Itachi all hanging out in the kitchen.

"Good morning Sakura-Chan!" Mikoto said smiling as she stirred the batter in the bowl.

Sakura waved in her direction and smiled. Sasuke got out of his chair and ran over to Sakura, almost knocking her down, if it wasn't for Sakura's good sense of balance.

"Good morning Nee-Chan!" Sasuke said as he hugged her.

"Good morning Sasuke-Kun. have a good sleep last night?" She asked, hoping he didn't have any more bad nightmares.

"Yeah! I meant up that monster!"

Sakura giggled and they both returned back to the kitchen. Sakura looked over to Itachi to see him staring at her with those cold, bone chilling eyes.

Brushing it off Sakura smiled in his direction, making him slightly confused. She smirked inside her mind, proud that she made the Uchiha Itachi confused. Then she made her way to ask Mikoto if she needed help cooking, which she accepted happily.

When everyone was done with breakfast Sasuke ran upstairs to get ready to go to he Academy and Mikoto returned to the kitchen to wash the dishes. Sakura and Itachi were left in the living room, all alone.

"The Hokage wants me to show you your other team member."

Sakura looked over to see that Itachi was looking at her. She turned her body so she could actually see him, instead of sitting the opposite way.

"Oh? Ok, sounds like fun!" Sakura said happily.

'_Fascinating. She gets happy so easily. That means she is a walking mood swing. Great.'_

"Anything else that you are "ordered" to do with me?" Sakura said as she made invisible quotes around ordered.

Itachi smirked at her action. How she was so different than everyone else. But once she knows that he is all powerful she will be a fan girl in no time.

"Nothing. Why? You want to spend more time with me?" Itachi said as he closed their personal space, inch by inch. Sakura looked up to see that famous smirk on his face. She squeaked, rather cutely, when she saw how close they were and she backed up a little.

Before Itachi could do anything they heard little Sasuke's feet pitter pattering against the upstairs hard woods. Soon they saw Sasuke running down the stairs, getting on his sandels.

"Hey Nee-San? Nee-Chan? Can you take me to school?"

Itachi was going to decline but Sakura was faster. "Sure Sasuke-kun. Why not?"

Itachi grunted. "We will be late. We don't have time."

Sakura turned to the boy her age and smirked a sassy smirk towards him. "Tisk, Tisk, Tisk Itachi. So we are a few minutes late, who cares?"

Sasuke cheered that Sakura made Itachi realize that they could be late, just this once. Sasuke was walking with Sakura, hand in tow. Itachi walked behind them, half watching them half watching what other people would do if they saw the three.

As Itachi looked around, as they made their way through the crowded marketplace a lot of boys his age where checking out Sakura. Itachi didn't like it so he secretly glared at them.

'_Why would they degrade a woman like that. Sick.'_

Soon the three of them were at the academy and once Sasuke was dropped off Sakura and Itachi were making their way to where ever Itachi lead her.

"Did you hear?"

The two 13 year olds overheard a few gossipers as the made their way through the marketplace.

"No what?!"

"The ANBU found a masked man outside Kohana! They are taking care of him now."

Sakura knew who they were talking about but acted like she had no idea, Itachi however was picking up speed towards the gates.

"Yeah! They have him right at the gate, not knowing what to do. He is hurt very badly!"

Itachi didn't wait any time and was running over to the gates, Sakura picked up her speed and was right behind him. Soon they were at the gates, three ANBU surrounded the masked boy.

They looked to see Itachi with some girl. They looked at the new comer with a curious face, but saw that she had a Kohana headband on her head. She must have been new to the squad or something.

Sakura looked past the ANBU to see her Sensei lying down on the ground, in his own pool of blood. Her eyes went wide and her heart started to beat faster.

'_At this rate he will soon loose so much blood we wont be able to much to him in time. Time to be Dr. Haruno again. Hold on Kakashi-Sensei, I'll save you.'_

Sakura didn't think twice about walking in between the groud of ANBU. At first they studied her with calculated eyes, but it soon fell when they saw that her hands started to glow green. They assumed she was a medic.

Itachi turned to the three and gathered up as much information as he could from them. When he was done "interrogating" them they all turned to Sakura. Watching her work.

Sakura's calculating eyes scanned Kakashi's body. Looking for anything that would possibly cause him to loose his blood quicker than at the paste it was pouring out of him now.

'_Found it. His rib, fractured at that, moved over to puncture a lung. This is going to take a lot of chakra.'_

Sakura turned to the four with stern eyes. "He has a broken rib that is causing him to bleed more than he should. Then there is a gash in his shoulder, from a sword mark no doubt. It seemed that he was caught off guard considering the way the hole was made…."

"Stop talking girl and heal him." One ANBU said.

Sakura turned around from Kakashi to the ANBU, her eyes changing from stern to murderous. "If you want me to heal him you better let me voice his injuries!" Sakura yelled.

Causing them to look at the girl with surprise. Itachi smirked. _'She is entertainment. One minute she is all sweet and the next she is going to kill you. What very interesting Vixen she is.'_

The ANBU shut his mouth and nodded his head. For some reason this girl scared him to no end. Even though he was on ANBU, no crazy man ever scared him like this little girl did.

Sakura closed her eyes and started to have her chakra enters Kakashi's blood stream from the shoulder wound, following the main arteries, she was able to get to the ribs and with more chakra she now covered his chest from the inside and out. Keeping one hand to guide her chakra and the other one over his chest. Soon the tissue started to move the rib back into place. Then she had the chakra from above go over his skin tissue to get out any infections.

After the rib was back to its original place, Sakura made sure to mend them together. Checking to see if the ribs were mended together perfectly she used her, now low, chakra to heal his shoulder wound. The rest was cuts and they could heal on their own.

When she was done she removed her hands and she slouched a little, breathing heavily.

The three ANBU and Itachi came over to the girl and watched as Kakashi started to regain consciousness.

"Ah." Kakashi said as he started to stand up. He looked around to see the three ANBU that brought him back to Kohana, Itachi looking him over and a pink haired girl, that looked like she was going to drop to her knees. Sheer will power holding her up.

"Who healed me?" 16 year old Kakashi asked. Looked at the three ANBU or Itachi for a answer.

"The girl healed you, Kakashi." The ANBU squad leader said, nodding over to the girl.

Kakashi looked over the girl and walked up to her. "Thanks for healing me…..Pinky."

Sakura's heavy breathing stopped and the three ANBU, Itachi, and Kakashi watched her with anticipation.

"Don't you dare……" Sakura said her eyes hiding behind her bangs.

Kakashi smirked. "Don't I dare what…..Pinky?"

Sakrua had, had enough of his foolishness.

'_So what if you are my Sensei! I'm about to give you a piece of Haruno Sakura!'_

"I said….Don't call me Pinky!" Sakura yelled bringing her fist up to his newly healed chest, sending him flying backwards, making him hit a good dozen trees or so.

The three ANBU looked at her with surprise. The one that yelled at her before was glad that he did shut it mouth before, otherwise he would have ended up like kakashi.

"NEXT TIME I WILL ACTUALLY HIT YOU WITH CHAKRA IN MY FISTS!" Sakura yelled.

Saying that Itachi was surprised was a understatement. _'If she put chakra in her fist she would have made Kakashi return back to his critical state.'_

The head ANBU squad leader turned to the girl. "You just healed him, why would you injure him anymore?"

Sakura smiled at the squad leader. "Actually I hit him in a new spot. You see his injury was in the left center, I hit him in his lower right stomach, which is just where tissue and cushion, so I just knocked the wind out of him is all."

The ANBU nodded, went to retrieve Kakashi and they left with a poof. Itachi looked over at his new fascination to see that she was now breathing even heavier than last time.

"Come on. Your going to fall where you stand if we don't get you home." Itachi said as he walked over to her.

Sakura looked to her side to see that he was coming closer. "What are you doing?"

"Look, your gonna faint on your feet. I'll carry you home. To save both of us the trouble."

Sakura shook her head reluctantly. "No way! I am not getting help from you! I can walk on my own thank you very much." And before Itachi could argue with her she was walking back into the market.

In a flash Itachi was at her side, knowing that she will soon faint from exauhstion. To his dismay they made it all the way home with out her fainting. She truly was amazing, her willpower was stronger than hell.

Of course Itachi spoke to soon because once they entered the house, causing **everyone**, Mikoto, Fugaku, and Sasuke took in their direction, Sakura gave out having Itachi to catch her.

"Itachi! What happened?!" Mikoto yelled running over to Itachi to look over Sakura.

Itachi looked at his mother and sighed. "She had to heal Kakashi. And she is out of chakra."

"She is as weak as I thought. Cant even heal a simply wond." Fugaku said.

Itachi looked at his dad with a glare. "No, Kakashi had a internal wound that punctured his organ."

Fugaku turned around when he heard that. _'Impossible. She is only 13.'_

------------------------------------------------**to be continued**-------------

**Author's notes: Sorry for any grammar I have actually updated three stories in one day and I'm monstrously tired and I don't have the energy to check the grammar so flame me for that if you like. Here is a chapter for you! Hope you all like it! PLEase review!!**

**I LVOE YOU ALL IF YOU DO!!**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Author's Notes: **_**Hey there! I can't believe how many people like the story so far!! So this will be the last chapter of this story before I go back to school, then everything will take forever to update, sorry for that in advance! To make up for it, I'm gonna make this chapter entertaining!!**

**HOPE YOU ALL LIKE IT!!**

**THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS EVERYONE!!**

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After Itachi glared at his father, and saw how surprised he was, Itachi placed Sakura down on the couch.

"Nee-San, will Sakura-Nee-Chan be ok?"

Itachi looked at Sasuke and nodded his head as an answer to his question.

"Itachi, all she needs is about two hours to rest, that is a good amount of time for her to be up and running." Mikoto said while she smiled at her son.

"Hn." Was all Itachi said as he sat down on a single chair and waited for Sakura to wake up.

"Sasuke lets leave Itachi alone for a while, come on. I'll help you with your homework."

"Hai!" Sasuke shouted as the those two ran upstairs into Sasuke's room. Fugaku on the other hand sat down on a chair across from Itachi.

"Itachi, how long is she staying here."

Itachi looked over to his dad and then back to his interest that was out cold, laying on the couch. "Hokage-Sama said until she found a place of her own."

"How long will that be till." Fugaku said with disgust.

Itachi unconsciously clenched his fist and stared at his father. "Father. She isn't weak."

Fugaku snorted at Itachi's statement. "That's a crock. She can't even get home without fainting."

Itachi was getting mad, but he hide it pretty well from his dad. "You would be to if you healed a man with a punctured lung and then punching him far enough with enough force to make him knock out twelve trees. Still having the strength to walk home." Itachi mumbled under his breath, but Fugaku heard it.

Fugaku was very confused as to why his son was defending the girl. "Hn." Was all he said and he made his way to his office, calling the Hokage to get information about this pink haired "disease" laying on his couch.

Itachi simply shook his head and began to study Sakura. As his eyes examined her, he saw a small tattoo on her ankle.

'_Where could that have come from?'_

Storing her new found tattoo into his mind he continued to study the girl. But he didn't find anything else that was of curiosity and before he knew it, Sakura started to wake up.

"Ugh. What happened?" Sakura asked in a soft whisper as she sat up, rubbing her head and looking all around. Trying to figure out where she was.

"Your in the living room." Itachi answered.

Sakura turned her body around to see Itachi sitting on a chair looking straight down at her. Sakura didn't know it, but she was blushing under his direct glaze.

"You know staring is rude." Sakura said with a mocking smile plastered on her face, the blush gone.

Itachi narrowed his charcoal eyes at her. "Couldn't think of anything else to say Sakura?" he said in a mocking tone.

Sakura winked at him, causing Itachi to be confused yet again, and then she started to get up from the couch. When she was up from the couch she walked around to make sure that she could move just fine.

'_I didn't think that I could gain my chakra that fast. Maybe it was because of not exactly draining my entire chakra reserves.'_

"Let's go." Itachi said as he got up and headed to the door.

Sakura turned her head to watch him make his way to the door. "Well aren't you nice. Not even waiting for a lady." Sakura mumbled under her breath.

After Sakura ran after Itachi and yelling at him for not waiting for her, causing Itachi to simply reply with his normal "Hn." For an answer, Sakura found that they were making their way to the hospital.

'_Don't tell me that we are going to go and visit Kakashi-Sensei! I mean I already hit him, I don't think I am on his Top 10 list.'_

Sakura shook her head and turned to Itachi. "Why are we at the hospital?" She asked as she tilted her head to one side.

Itachi saw her movements through the corner of his eye, but didn't turn around to give her his full attention. "So you and the man you punched can be introduced properly. If we are a team, we better get to know each other."

Sakura nodded her head with a smile on her face. _'Well this should be good, lets see what Kakashi-Sensei will have to say for himself. And lets see what Itachi will say. Not much I think.'_

It didn't take long for the two of them to get to the hospital, surprisingly there was no fan-girls after Itachi.

After the two got the room number of Kakashi's room, they set off to their destination. Unfortunately, Sakura spoke to soon and when they entered the hospital's hallways all the nurses started to swoon at the sight of Itachi. Causing Sakura to laugh and resulting in Itachi glaring at death glare. But Sakura was being Sakura and she simply brushed it off.

When they entered Kakashi's room they saw him sitting up looking around the room.

'_Poor Kakashi-Sensei. He hates hospitals to. He seems like he forgot about the whole Pinky thing.'_

Kakashi looked up to see his teammate and the girl that punched him down after healing him.

"Hey Itachi, why did you bring Pinky here?"

'_I spoke to soon, he is just gonna keep going at it with the whole Pinky thing. God Damn him!'_

Sakura clenched her fists into a ball and glared a nasty glare at Kakashi. "You know it isn't nice to call a girl names?"

"Who said you were a girl? With that forehead of yours, its pretty hard to tell that you're a girl."

Sakura was pissed, oh how she was going to show him whose boss, but Itachi put his hand out in the way of Sakura.

"We are here to get along."

Kakashi looked at Itachi like he had five heads. "Why would we do that? It isn't like she is going to be on our team or something."

There are only a few times when Sakura smirks and that is either in battle when the opponent was falling for her trap or when someone stated the obvious and didn't like it. When Sakura smirked Kakashi got the point and sighed.

"Your kidding me right? I have to deal with **two **13 year olds? What is this?"

"Well sir, I don't think you could count Itachi as a teen, he basically is a man, but doesn't have the body for it yet." Sakura said while she giggled at her own joke.

Kakashi looked at the girl wide eyed and looked over to see Itachi glaring at her, but Kakashi noted that the girl didn't seem to be phased.

'_Well I guess Pinky won't be that bad after all.'_

"Don't get me involved in this. Lets get started." Itachi said.

"Ok, so why don't you go first Itachi? It is your idea." Sakura suggested.

Itachi sighed, shut the hospital door, and then leaned up against the first wall he found. Sakura thought that it meant that they would be here for a while and she found a chair, bringing it over so she was at the end of the bed. Getting a good view of the two boys in front of her.

"You know my first name, but my last name it Uchiha…" Itachi looked to see if Sakura ever heard of him before, since he was world renown about his skills. If Sakura did she sure didn't show it.

"I'm the youngest to get to Jonin, and soon the youngest to be ANBU. That is until you showed up."

Sakura shook her head, then she asked him if he would say anything else but he wouldn't budge. Kakashi shook his head.

"Don't worry Pinky, Itachi likes to stay quiet most the time." Kakashi added.

Sakura giggled again, and then she turned her attention to Kakashi. "Your turn. I don't even know your name."

Kakashi sighed. "My name is Hatake Kakashi. I'm 16, and I'm your teammate."

Sakura had a huge sweat drop go down the side of her head. _'Even when he was younger, he still was a shady character.'_

"So Kakashi-San…"

Kakashi interrupted her. "Just Kakashi."

'_Yeah right, you call me Pinky I will call you Kakashi-San. Ha! What now?!'_

Sakura smiled. "Ok, Kakashi-**San**!"

Kakashi groaned and Itachi smirked.

'_She is getting revenge on me calling her Pinky, just great.'_

'_Sakura, your going to put some piazzas into our team.'_

"Like I was saying before I was interrupted. Why do you have a mask on?" Sakura asked curiously.

Kakashi twitched. Sakura saw it to. The way he twitched and the way his visible eye began to go back to memory lane, Sakura could tell he didn't want to talk about it.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable." Sakura said, trying to get him not to be sad.

"Yeah, lets just say, it's to hide something." Kakashi said, as he started to come back to reality.

'_No duh Kakashi-Sensei. Ugh, he is always Mr.-Point-Out-The-Obvious.'_

With that said, the two boys looked over to Sakura. Sakura looked up at them and smiled.

"Why are you both staring at me like that?"

Kakashi and Itachi wanted to slap their foreheads at the girl's ditzy-ness. But they didn't, fighting it every step of the way.

"Your turn." Was all Itachi managed to grunt out.

Sakura gasped. "Oh right! Well for Kakashi, my name is Itou Sakura. I just arrived back from a mission that the Hokage sent me on a while ago, and the next thing I knew I was assigned to your team."

"You're the one all the hunter-nin's have been talking about. They said that you killed three mission ninja. Pretty good for a 13 year old." Kakashi said.

Sakura smiled at him and thanked him. Itachi turned his head to her.

"What's up with the Tattoo."

Sakura looked at him funny and Kakashi also looked at him in a strange way.

"She is 13, how can **she **have a tattoo." Kakashi stated, trying to see the reason behind Itachi's confusing words.

"Sorry Itachi, but I have to agree with Kakashi, what do you mean?"

"On your ankle." Was all Itachi said, her reaction was good enough for him to know that she knew what he was talking about.

When Itachi said it was on her ankle Sakura gasped. Kakashi looked at her with a still confused face.

"What is he talking about." Kakashi asked, narrowing his eyes at Sakura.

Sakura simply lowered her arm down to her left leg and plopped it up onto the bed. If anyone would happen to come in, they would think that **something** was going on between Kakashi and Sakura. All because of the position her leg was in.

Kakashi got up from under the covers and Itachi moved from the wall to get a closer look. By the time they could see it, both boys were very close to Sakura.

'_Ever heard of personal space? Hello! I have my leg plopped up here!'_

"It's a star." Kakashi said, breaking the silence.

"What does it mean." Itachi ordered, glaring at her.

"Itachi you should know that your glares don't scare me. As to answer your question Kakashi, well it's a long story."

"We got time." Kakashi said, now fascinated by the tattoo that existed on her left ankle.

"Fine, so before I went on this mission…"

Before Sakura could even start the door opened. Sakura quickly put her leg off the bed and the boys went back to their original spots. When the door finally opened a messenger came in.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but the Hokage would like to talk the team."

All three nodded their heads and made their way out the door, but the messenger stopped Sakura.

"I'm sorry Miss. Itou, but the Hokage would only like to speak to Kakashi-San and Itachi-San."

Sakura simply nodded her head and after waving to her new teammates. Sakura left the hospital once learning she wasn't needed.

"Damn, and she was **going** to tell us about that Tattoo too." Kakashi said.

"Hn." Itachi said. He was trying to figure out how she could possibly gotten a Tattoo, and why. He didn't like to be clueless about things.

After getting the boot, well that is how Sakura put it, she started to walk around Kohana. Looking back and forth at the beautiful scene before her. Soon she came up to the all to familiar Ramen Shack.

'_Well I guess a bite to eat wouldn't hurt.'_

Sakura made her way to the shop when she heard a bottle being broken. Turning to the side of the shop she saw three older men picking on a little kid with blonde hair.

'_It's…..It's Naruto! Oh god, I know I can't interfere with the past, but they are going to hurt him. I have to do something!'_

Sakura changed her direction she was walking and headed towards the three men. When she got close enough she saw that they were throwing broken bottle pieces at Naruto.

"That is what you get you Demon!"

"Leave Kohana!"

"You're a monster! No one wants you!"

Sakura couldn't take it anymore and jumped out in front of the poor little boy.

"Hey! Stop it!"

The three men stopped throwing the glass, seeing the little girl get in their way.

"Move girlie. It's none of your business."

The other two men nodded their heads at the man's statement.

Sakura clenched her fists. "It is my business, if you want to beat up someone beat up someone your own size!"

"Girl, he is a monster! Why protect him?!"

"Do you honestly think you could beat us? Your 13."

Sakura glared long and hard at all three of them. "I will protect anyone that is getting beat up for no reason. You have no right to attack a innocent little boy!" She yelled, her yell echoed through the whole town.

The head of the three man team stepped forward. "Girlie, just go home and leave this to adults."

Looking up at the man, Sakura could see that he was going to kill Naruto once she left.

"No. I think it is high time someone kicked your asses."

With that Sakura started to step forward to the main man of the team. Picking up her hand, Sakura placed it in front of his forehead.

"I don't think a flick to the forehead is going to do anything. I'm not a dog."

Sakura laughed at him and smirked. "Yeah? Watch." And with that, she flicked the man in the forehead. The two men would of have laughed at the girl but once she flicked their "leader" they saw him fly backwards into the Ramen Shop. When the man collided with the wall, he went right threw it. Leaving a huge hole in the wall.

"Lets get out of here!"

"Yeah! I'm down with that!"

The two remaining men picked up their "leader" and ran away. Sakura watched them long and hard until they left her sight range. Turning around, Sakura saw Naruto looking up at her with big blue eyes.

"You ok little guy?" Sakura asked in a soft tone, holding out her hand.

At first Naruto thought she was going to hurt him like the other men did, but when he didn't feel anything, he took her hand and stood up.

"Y-Your n-not a-afraid of m-me?" Naruto asked sacred of what she might say.

Sakura smiled a bright smile at him. "Of course not. Why would I hurt a cute little boy like you?"

Naruto looked deep into her emerald eyes and his scared expression soon turned into a happy one.

"Thanks Ma'am!"

Sakura laughed at his enthusiasm and then she saw his cuts, taking a glowing hand she healed all his cuts and bruises.

With a big smile Sakura started to talk to him once she was done. "Well, why don't you tell me your name and I'll tell you mine in exchange?"

Naruto nodded his head. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto! What's yours?!"

"My name is Itou Sakura. Pleasure to meet you Naruto-Kun."

Naruto smiled a wide smile and ran over to Sakura to give her a giant hug.

"Thank you for healing me and saving me."

"Your welcome Naruto-Kun. Hey I got an idea, are you hungry?"

Naruto was about to say no, but his stomach started to growl. Sakura laughed when she saw him yelling at his own stomach to hush up.

"I'll take that as a yes. Come on, why not have some Ramen?"

Naruto's eyes went as wide as saucers and he took off to the shop, sitting at the bar and ordering as many bowls of Ramen as he wanted.

After about two hours of eating and talking at the shop, Sakura paid the food bill and they soon made their way over to the park.

"So Naruto-Kun, why were those men beating you up?"

Naruto was skipping along side Sakura and holding her hand. When she asked him the question his skip became slower and his smile turned into a frown.

"I don't know. They call me a monster, well almost everyone calls me it. They beat me up for a reason I don't know. Except you, Sakura-Nee-Chan, and Iruka-Sensei."

Sakura looked down at Naruto and patted his head. "Well look at it this way Naruto, they just don't know you. Don't let it get you down."

Naruto returned to his happy self and soon they arrived at a playground. Naruto and Sakura ran around playing on the swing sets, sliding down the slides, and playing in the sand box.

Sakura was making a sand castle when Naruto knocked it down. "Naruto-Kun! Why did you knock down my sand castle?" Sakura whined, giving him a cute puppy pout.

Naruto couldn't hold it, and he started to roll around in the sand laughing to his heart's content. Sakura saw him laughing and smiled.

"What's so funny?" She said in a giggly voice.

Naruto finally calmed down and Sakura could see the tears rolling down his face.

"Sakura-Nee-Chan! Your f-face w-was f-f-funny!" Naruto said starting to laugh again.

Sakura shook her head from side-to-side. Simply watching her new little friend laugh his butt off.

Looking up to the sky Sakura saw that it was getting dark.

'_Hum. I guess that meeting with the Hokage took longer than any of us expected. I'm sure Mikoto wouldn't mind if I brought Naruto home and then head "home."'_

"Hey Naruto-Kun."

Naruto looked up to see Sakura looking down at him. "Yeah Sakura-Nee-Chan?"

"It's getting late, why don't I take you home."

Naruto nodded his head and soon took Sakura's hand. They skipped off into the bad side of Kohana, where all the druggies would sell their drugs or where all the homeless drunks would drink until they got wasted again.

'_Poor Naruto, he lived here even when he was only a little kid.'_

Sakura grasped onto Naruto's hand making sure that he wouldn't leave her side. Soon a ratty apartment building came into view. Getting out a key Naruto kept on a string in his pocket, he lead Sakura up the stairs, unlocked his apartment door and lead her inside.

"You live all alone here?"

Naruto nodded sadly. "Yeah. But I get it isn't that bad."

Sakura shut the door behind her and started to walk around the apartment. It wasn't a good place for a little boy to spend his days, but for the town to give him a free apartment, even after they know he holds the Kyuubi, she guessed they put him here on purpose. Like some sort of punishment.

"Naruto-Kun. Guess what time it is!" Sakura shouted, already finding out where the bathroom was.

Naruto looked at her and soon his face turned pale. He **did not** like baths at all. He would try to wait until the very last moment to take a shower.

"No! Nee-Chan! No! Please!"

Sakura shook her head from side-to-side. "Sorry bud, but you stink and I think it is time to take a bath."

Naruto was going to run away but Sakura was to quick and she grabbed him, ran into the bathroom, shut the door and locked it. Now he couldn't escape and Sakura knew he knew that.

"Fine. I'll take a bath. Just this once!" Naruto shouted regretfully as he let Sakura strip him and throw him into the tub.

-----**With Itachi and Kakashi**----

When the two exited the Hokage's office they saw that it was near night.

"God, all he wanted to talk about was how we needed to find information on a scroll. How pointless."

"Hn." Itachi agreed with Kakashi on this one.

As they made their way to the streets they saw Iruka walking up and down the streets.

"Hey Iruka. What's wrong." Kakashi said.

Iruka turned and ran over to Kakashi and Itachi. "I can't find Naruto. I'm afraid maybe some of the villagers may have hurt him."

"Check the Ramen Shack." Itachi said.

"Hey speaking of trouble, where is Sakura?" Kakashi asked as he looked around the street.

'_So Kakashi only calls her that when she is around. Way to instigate a temper Kakashi.' _Itachi thought as he tried to think of placing Sakura would be.

"Who is Sakura?" Iruka asked.

"She is a new member of our team. I found her in the woods yesterday." Itachi said.

"Oh. Well you can come with me, I'm sure we will find her."

With that they ran over to the Ramen Shack only to see the daughter of the owner filling in a giant hole in the wall.

"Hey what happened over here?" Iruka asked.

The daughter smiled at him and laughed. "It was quite funny, some little kid was getting hurt then some girl came over and knocked a guy out with a flick of a finger."

Itachi and Kakashi looked at each other and nodded. "Did she have pink hair."

"Umm….I don't know. There were to many people surrounding the kid for me to see."

"Was the child a blonde?"

"Yes, he went with the girl. But I didn't see much."

"Thank you." Itachi said.

"Iruka I'm sure Naruto is fine, he probably went home, you'll see him tomorrow."

"Yeah your right Kakashi. Well I'll see you. Hope you find your friend." Iruka said as he poofed away leaving Itachi and Kakashi.

"Itachi don't stress over Pinky. She probably went home. You know that the legendary Sannin Tsunade is in town so it could have been her. I doubt Pinky could do that with her **fingers**."

"Hn."

Kakashi shook his head then with a wave and a goodbye, Itachi was left to go home by himself.

-----**At the Uchiha's**---

When Itachi came home Sasuke came running to him but stopped deep in his tracks.

"Where is Nee-Chan?"

"Out." Was all Itachi said. He didn't want to say that he didn't know because a Uchiha never gets unsure about something.

"Sasuke! I told you to go to bed! Now move your butt!" Mikoto shouted from the kitchen, but then came into the living room to see her son and no Sakura.

After Sasuke ran upstairs, Mikoto asked the same question Sasuke asked him. But this time Itachi shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm sure she is fine. Remember, she said she was from here, so she must of found a friend and is spending the day with them. She'll be home later."

"Hn." Itachi said as he made his way to his bedroom.

Once he got to his bedroom, he shut the door, but left the window opened. His room was at the front of the house and being the light sleeper he was, he would be able to know when someone was entering the house.

'_Okaa-San brought up a good question. How long was Sakura gone during her mission? I'll ask her in the morning, god I never knew a woman could have so much secrets.'_

With Sakura plaguing his mind, Itachi drifted off to sleep.

----**With Naruto and Sakura**---

It didn't take Sakura long to bath the little guy. Once he was squeaky clean, Sakura wrapped him in a towel and Naruto lead her to his room. When Sakura saw the condition of his pj's Sakura frowned. Naruto didn't notice and started to put on the pj's that is until Sakura stopped him.

"What's wrong Nee-Chan?"

Sakura shook her head. "You can't wear those."

"But this is all that I have." Naruto replied his head down to the ground.

Sakura bent down and lifted his chin up so he could look at her. "Yes, but I have a present for you."

Naruto didn't know what to say, because he never got a gift before. He just watched her as Sakura took out a scroll, unrolled it, and perform a set of seals. Before he knew it Sakura had a set of pj's in her hand.

"Wooahhh!" Was all Naruto could say.

Sakura gave him the cloths and he changed into them. When he was done he was wearing a orange T-Shirt, that fit him perfectly, and a pair of black long pants.

"Awe! You look adorable in that!" Sakura said when Naruto turned around to show her.

"Thanks Nee-Chan!" he said as he lunged himself at her and hugged her to death.

'_I never will miss this kind of hug.'_ Sakura smiled.

"Enough excitement for the day. Time for bed." Sakura said as Naruto climbed into bed.

Sakura tucked him into his bed and as he started to close his eyes, Sakura felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her.

'_I guess I wasn't as healed as I thought I was. May be I can…'_ Sakura stopped in mid-though because she fell onto Naruto's bed.

Naruto looked over to see Sakura laying down, sleeping with her head and half her chest on the bed, everything else as off the bed. _'Don't worry Nee-Chan. I'll take care of you. It's the least I can do.'_

Naruto crawled out of bed, took Sakura's arms and soon, with much effort, he got Sakura to lay comfortably on the bed. He then got a extra blanket from his closet, that he kept for the winter, and covered her. Then he inched his way back into his bed. Making sure not to wake the girl next to him.

"Good night Nee-Chan." Naruto whispered and soon he passed out from exhaustion as well.

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**Author's Notes: Well I think that was a cute chapter! And I apologize if anyone is OOC in this chapter. It is very long to! Go me! So here is the chapter before school! HOPE you all enjoyed it!!**

**REVIEW PLEASE!! **


	5. Chapter 5

_**Author's Notes: **_**I no everyone has been waiting for this chapter and I am soo sorry, but the past 2 weeks have been so crowded with shit that I couldn't even touch the computer at all! How scary is that?! Anyway, I am so sorry and I will try to make this the best chapter so far! I love you all who are still wit me, and if you are not then that's ok I still love you for reviewing my other chapters! I honestly didn't think it would be this good. **

**But enough of me, on with the thing you mostly care about! The STORY!!!**

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"Ugh…." With a grown Sakura rose, very slowly, up into a sitting position.

'_Where am I?'_

Sakura looked around, trying to figure out where she was. As she looked around, all the events of what happened last night floated back into her mind. With a smile she turned to her left to see the tiny Naruto tangled in his blankets.

'_So adorable. When I get back I am going to have to tease him about it. That will get him back for embarrassing me in front of the elders.'_

Sakura made a silent giggle as she flashed back to when Naruto pulled a prank on her, at the wrong time. Shaking her head from side-to-side, Sakura got off the bed quietly so Naruto wouldn't wake up.

Getting out of the room Sakura walked into the kitchen. Looking at the clock it read 8:30.

'_Ah. So we somewhat slept in. The academy starts in a hour, not even. Better get started on breakfast. Now lets see what Mr. Naruto has in his fridge.'_

Raiding his pantry, she found pancake mix and everything she needed. She was pretty surprised that all the ingredients seemed untouched.

'_Maybe I should teach him how to cook pancakes so he doesn't eat ramen all the time.' _Sakura thought as she smiled to herself.

It didn't take her long to get everything on the stove and before anyone knew it, the apartment was filled with the great scent of pancakes.

Across the hall, Naruto was sleeping soundly until his nose smelt the delicious aroma that worked its way to his room.

"Ah! That smells delicious!" Naruto jolted up from his bed, and rand out the room and down the hall, following the scent.

Naruto skidded across the kitchen floor when he saw Sakura in a yellow apron and flipping pancakes like a pro.

"Awesome Nee-Chan! That's so cool!" Naruto shouted as he placed himself at the bar he would always eat at.

Sakura, at first, was surprised by his entrance. But she was use to his older self so it didn't bother her. Once she was done flipping the single pancake she turned around to see Naruto smiling like a treasure cat.

"I see we are very energetic this morning."

"Yeah! Those pancakes smell good!"

"Don't worry Naruto-Kun, they will be done in a second. Why don't you wash your hands first. By the time your done, they should be ready. Ok?"

"Ok!"

'_He will never change. No matter how much people wanted him to.'_

Sakura flipped the last pancake into the air and set up the bar area. Naruto was on one side while she was on the other. She set Naruto's plate with four pancakes and a glass of milk. She made her plate have three pancakes and she had a glass of milk as well.

"Is it time to eat?!" Naruto asked excitedly when he came in the kitchen.

Sakura smiled widely at him. "Yes! Come eat!" She said with the equal amount of energy.

Naruto smiled so wide it was surprising that his face didn't stay like that. They both sat and ate their pancakes like they have done it everyday.

When they were done Sakura and Naruto started to get ready. Naruto got dressed in new cloths that Sakura also had in her traveling scrolls.

"Nee-Chan…Why do you have boys' cloths in those scrolls?"

"Because on a mission I had to watch a little boy and he would always do something unexpected so I carried a extra pair of cloths all the time."

"Oh. That means you're a ninja too!" Naruto said as Sakura pulled a orange T-Shirt over his head.

After Sakura pulled the shirt over his head she laughed at his astonished face. "Yes Naruto-Kun I am a ninja. But I'm not that good."

Naruto's smile went into a serious expression. Sakura never saw him serious before. "Your not weak Nee-Chan! You made that guy make a giant hole in the Ramen Shop! With **a flick of a finger!**"

Sakura laughed softly at his enthusiasm, and ruffled his un-brushed hair. "Thanks for the encouragement Naruto-Kun. But enough with this, let me take a shower and get dressed. Then we have to get you to the academy."

Naruto smiled brightly at her and hugged her tight. "Thank you so much Nee-Chan! You're the nicest girl I ever meet. If I find a girl like you I'm never gonna let her go!"

Sakura hugged him back and sent him into the living room until she was done with her morning plan.

-----**The Uchiha Manner**---

Itachi woke up when the light from the sun shown through his window. Turning to his night stand his clock read 8:30.

'_She didn't come home at all. Wonder where she went.'_

With a shrug of his shoulders Itachi did his morning routine and in five minutes he was done. He then made his way downstairs to the kitchen, where his mom would always make breakfast.

Mikoto was running around the kitchen trying to pull together the breakfast.

"Hello Nee-San!" Sasuke said cheerfully.

Mikoto turned around and saw that her oldest son was sitting next to his brother at the dinner table. "Sakura-Chan didn't come home last night?"

Itachi just shook his head. _'What would possess her not to come here? Why am I so worried about her?'_

Shaking his head to get ride of all his thoughts his mother then set down the breakfast and they started to dig in.

"Wonder where Nee-Chan went. Hope she is ok. Hey Okaa-San! Do you know where Sakura-Nee-Chan is?" Sasuke asked hopefully.

"You seem to be pretty attached to Sakura. Bu I do not know where she is. I would like to know if she is safe though." Mikoto said as she placed a spoonful of eggs in her mouth.

Just then Fugaku entered the kitchen and looked around to see that the pink "disease" wasn't in his kitchen.

"She finally moved out. Good. I had no need for weak people in my house." He said with a stern voice.

"No Dad, Sakura-Nee-Chan just didn't come home. Do you know where she is?" Sasuke asked his dad. Not seeing the harm in his question. He was to innocent to see his father's murderous expression on his face.

"Don't care where that infected girl went. Mikoto, I want her out of the house by the end of the week."

"But Fugaku, the Hokage said to keep her here until she finds a place of her own."

"Then find her one. I have no room for weak little girls."

Itachi glared at his father and Sasuke was on the verge of tears. "She isn't weak." Itachi added in the conversation. He had, had enough of his father talking ill of a person he didn't even know.

"Y-You d-don't m-mean that d-do y-you D-Dad?" Sasuke said as every passing moment his eyes were filling up with tears.

Fugaku looked at his two sons and saw how affected they were when he even voiced that the girl should move out. _'What has gotten into them.'_

Mikoto on the other hand just sat there watching her youngest son cry and her oldest son just stare with his cold eyes. She couldn't understand why Fugaku couldn't give Sakura a chance. Trying to figure out how to lighten the mood up she looked at the clock and almost jumped out of her chair.

"Sasuke! It's almost 9:30! Get dressed! Itachi can you please take your brother to the academy for me? I need to clean up."

Itachi nodded with a blank expression and Sasuke ran up the stairs and in not even two minutes he was dressed and ready to go. Itachi took his brother and slammed the door behind him.

"Fugaku! That was the worst thing I have ever heard you say!" Mikoto yelled after she made sure her boys left.

Fugaku just sat there and sighed. "That girls doesn't belong here."

"How do you someone when you don't take the time to even notice them?! What happened to the kind, good hearted man I married?!"

Fugaku looked up at his dear wife and moved close to her, only making their distance close. "Life happened to me. I know the hardships in life and want the best for my sons. And I know for a fact that, that **girl** isn't right for them."

"fine. Believe what ever you want. But she isn't going anywhere and you **will** deal with it." Mikoto said to her husband with a strict voice, leaving no room for Fugaku to argue.

------**Itachi and Sasuke**----

After Itachi and Sasuke made sure that they were out of the Uchiha district they started on their way to the academy.

"Nee-San….Do you think Dad will really throw out Sakura-Nee-Chan?"

Itachi turned to his brother and shook his head. "No. Okaa-San will make sure Sakura will not be thrown out."

Before Sasuke could comment back they ran into Kakashi. Itachi looked at his partner and sighed. _'He got out of the hospital….again.' _

"what are you doing out of the hospital Kakashi." Itachi implied as Kakashi made his way over to Itachi.

Kakashi made an eye crease towards Itachi and chuckled. "Hello to you too Itachi. Hello there Sasuke."

Sasuke looked up at him and smiled. "Hi Kakashi-San!"

Itachi dismissed the fact that his partner changed the subject and the three of them made their way to the academy.

---**The Academy-----**

When Itachi, Sasuke, and Kakashi arrived at the front of the Academy gates they saw Iruka looking around left and right.

"What is Iruka-Sensei doing?" Sasuke asked. He never saw Iruka confused before. Or looking around like an idiot for that matter.

"He didn't find Naruto, huh?" Kakashi asked. And Itachi just nodded his head in assumption.

"Oh, Kakashi, Itachi, and Sasuke. How are you? Did you find that girl you are looking for?" Iruka asked as he saw his friends at the gate.

Kakashi shook his head. "No. but I'm sure pinky is ok."

"Pinky?"

"Kakashi calls Sakura that." Itachi filled Iruka and Sasuke in.

"Oh. Well it is great seeing you both, but I will take Sasuke from here."

Sasuke sighed and started to walk, that is until he was tackled by a flash of yellow.

'_What happened?' _thought Sasuke as he tried to get up, only to find that he couldn't.

Itachi, Kakashi, and Iruka saw that the yellow flash was indeed Naruto.

"See, I told you, you would find him." Kakashi said as he picked Sasuke and Naruto up and placed them on their feet.

"Who are you?!" Sasuke said as he pointed at the blonde that was in front of him.

Naruto on the other hand just smiled sheepishly and laughed. "The name is Uzumaki Naruto. Who the heck are you?"

Sasuke gave him a glare and Naruto gave him a glare back. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. Watch where you are running next time."

Naruto was about to retort a comeback that is until Sasuke reminded him why he was running. "You have to hide me!"

"Um why is that Naruto?" Iruka asked. Just slightly confused.

"Because Nee-Chan is coming for me and I can't let her find me! Where can I hide?!"

Sasuke looked at the blonde like he was crazy. "He is crazy." Sasuke said. Itachi shook his head and Kakashi looked at the both of them, seeing the rivalry that will stem from this point on.

"Who is Nee-Chan." Sasuke asked.

Naruto was about to answer but he was too late because a huge poof of cherry blossoms came into everyone's view.

"I found you Naruto-Kun." Said Sakura.

Once the smoke cleared they could see the pink haired 13 yr old wearing a pink tank top, white under shorts and a black skirt. This time her hair was down, instead of up in a pony tail; to her shoulders and her headband was used as a headband as usual.

"Ah man! How did you find me?!" Naruto said as he pouted a cute pout.

Sasuke was a little mad that the "crazy boy" also meet his Nee-Chan. "How do **you **know Nee-Chan?"

Sakura turned to see Sasuke glaring at Naruto. _'Aw! Their fighting already. How cute.'_

"Oh Sasuke-Kun, I found him yesterday and I couldn't just leave him so I took him home…."

"Which ended up with Sakura-Nee-Chan failing asleep on my bed." Naruto finished with a huge smile plastered on his face. "Wait…how do you know Nee-Chan?" Naruto asked Sasuke.

Sasuke smirked at the boy his age. "Nee-San found her and she lives at my house."

Naruto looked over his shoulder at his new friend and sighed. "No fair!"

Sakura shook her head and stood in-between the two boys. "Why can't you boys both share? There is plenty of me to go around."

Sasuke and Naruto both huffed and turned their back to each other. Iruka on the other hand wanted to thank the girl.

"Thank you very much Sakura-San. I can't express how much I appreciate you saving Naruto."

Sakura smiled at her former sensei. _'Even when he is 16 he is always sweet. I don't know why he doesn't have a girlfriend.'_

"Oh no need to thank me. It's just a good deed done. And you don't have to call me Sakura-San, Sakura is fine."

Iruka blushed a little bit and shook his head. "Well lets get these two inside. See you later Sakura, Itachi, and Kakashi." And with that Iruka and the two boys walked into the academy.

The three remaining people turned their backs to the school and made their way to the training grounds.

"So Pinky….you spent the night at the little boys house? You know I could think you are a pedophile."

Sakura turned to her left and glared long and hard at Kakashi. "Well I'm sorry that the poor guy was getting beat up by a bunch of men. I wasn't going to let them hurt him."

Itachi stopped walking and turned to Sakura. "So you were the one that made the giant hole in the Ramen Shack."

Sakura's eyes went extremely wide. _'Shit! How could I be so stupid?! At least they don't know I can hit ten times harder than that.'_

"Oh….Oopies?" Sakura exclaimed as she rubbed the back of her neck and turned a light shade of pink.

"Hey Itachi, why don't we see what she can do? If she is going to be on your team we need to know what she can do."

"Hn."

Sakura looked at Kakashi and Itachi. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"Don't worry Pinky. We just want to see what you can do."

Sakura rolled her emerald eyes and sighed. "Fine."

----**The Forest**---

Itachi and Kakashi turned to Sakura. One had a smirk on his face while the other one was giving her an eye crease.

'_Shit. I've got a bad feeling about this.'_

"So Pinky….Pick one of us." Kakashi voiced waiting to see who she would chose.

Sakura's face dropped to the floor. _'They want me to pick the person I want to battle huh? Well lets look at my options. If I battle Kakashi-Sensei I could win easily since I battled his older self. But then there is Itachi. I could see somewhat of his style of fighting. Even if he is younger.'_

"It's a hard decision. Why not……Itachi?" Sakura asked with oblivious added in her voice.

Sakura looked to see Kakashi's face somewhat shocked and saw Itachi just look at her. "If you get hurt it isn't our fault." Was all Itachi said.

Kakashi looked at his friend and shook his head. "Well Pinky. You asked for it."

Sakura smiled up at her new teammates. "Yeah I know I did." She said and then she disappeared right in front of their eyes.

Itachi looked at Kakashi and Kakashi smirked along with Itachi. "This is going to be good." Was all Kakashi said before Itachi went off to look for his opponent.

Sakura was sitting on a tree branch. Her other clone was discreetly following Itachi.

'_Ok. So I have to fight an extremely high level ninja. Just peachy. How should I do this? I know he has the Shuringan, so I better watch out and not display something that he could copy.'_

Sakura sent her chakra and found that her clone was getting Itachi's attention. But he wasn't falling for it and just sent a kunai and made the clone poof away.

'_Lets get the party started.'_

Sakura started to run threw the trees like a soundless cat. Not letting Itachi hear her steps. But Itachi already heard her and sent five kunai at her. Sakura, dodged three out of five and got hit by two of them. They didn't do much and she just took them out of her and placed them in her holster.

'_I can use this against him. With that new jutsu I made up he wont know what hit him.'_

"Come out and fight. I don't like people who hide." Was all Itachi said as he unsheathed his sword.

Smiling at his indication, Sakura jumped out of the tree and the two of them engaged in sword combat. Both impressed at the other persons skill behind a sword.

Kakashi ran over to see the two of them with swords. One was going all out while the other one was semi doing some work.

'_Itachi, at least try. We need to see what she can do. But so far she is pretty good. I'm surprised she can keep up with you.'_

Getting tired of the sword, Sakura put her away and took out the two kunai's Itachi threw at her. Itachi watched her with Shuringan eyes and got into a defensive position.

'_What is she planning.'_

Itachi dodged the kunai's and not letting him recover from the kunai's Sakura, charged at him and they did hand-to-hand combat. Sakura was so dizzy that he could punch so fast that at first she didn't expect him to move so fast. She was getting hit left and right.

Itachi just watched as he stepped it up a notch, moving to fast for her to see him punch. Not leaving a opening for her to strike. Kakashi was on the sidelines watching how Sakura was doing under Itachi's pressure. To his surprise she was taking it very well.

'_H-How can he hit this fast. T-There has to be a w-way to find an o-opening. I-If only m-my eyes could adjust…Wait a minute that's it! He doesn't want me use my eyes he wants to see how good I am with my other senses.'_

With a triumphant smile, Sakura closed her eyes and let Itachi to continue to hit her. After a few more hits and punches, Sakura could see the pattern in his hitting and kicking.

'_Why did she close her eyes? She is only going to get hurt worse.' _Kakashi and Itachi thought. Obviously they didn't read as much into the situation as Sakura did.

'_Ok next is going to be a left hook, then there is going to be a upper cut to my rubs. So dodge right and down.'_

As Sakura told herself what to do, Itachi and Kakashi watched as she dodged his attacks. Once Sakura found an opening she punched him square in the ribs, sending him about 12 feet away from her.

"Thank god. Now I can take a breather." Sakura said as she preformed a genjutsu over Itachi before he could get up from her swift punch.

Kakashi watched as Itachi sat there and then his attention went to Sakura. While Itachi was getting up from the punch, Sakura was healing herself.

'_She does have good stamina. Very good for a girl. She could even match mine.'_

Meanwhile with Itachi, as he got up everything was spinning. Trying to hide the fact that he was dizzy, he continued to walk forward. But the more he walked the more everything spun.

'_I didn't think she could hit that hard. But everything is spinning so much.'_

Sakura watched her opponent as he tried to walk straight, but he ended up tripping over a few stumps, but he covered it up the best he could.

'_The genjutsu is suppose to confuse him so I can hit him with a jutsu. But I want to see how long it will take him to get out of it. While that happens I'll set up a trap.'_

With that Sakura went around to all the trees and implanted kunai's in their trunks. Only to be released when she pulled the invisible chakra wire.

After a few minutes Itachi caught on to the genjutsu and broke it with a single hand seal.

"I have to say, didn't think there were others that could create a good genjutsu." Itachi mumbled. But Sakura heard him and smiled a thank you to him.

Itachi shook his head and his hands went to work. In a second Sakura was captured in a genjutsu herself. Sakura didn't know it of course.

'_What is going on? My head hurts so much! To many flashbacks! Everything is red!'_

While Sakura suffered with her massive headache, Itachi walked up to her and was about to attack, when a bunch of kunai's came out of the trunks of trees.

"…." Itachi dodged each and everyone of them.

"She is sure filled with surprises." Kakashi voiced to his partner, who nodded his head.

Meanwhile Sakura was still screaming over her headache.

"Itachi, which one did you use?"

"The one where I have to break in order for it to stop."

Kakashi shook his head from side to side. "We were suppose to analyze her skills. Not see how fast we could break her."

Itachi was inturupted by a huge scream coming from Sakura. The two boys looked over to see a huge chakra wave surrounding her.

"What is that?!" Kakashi shouted.

'_**Oh, well that was a nice nap.'**_

'_How did you wake up?! Why now?! I'm kinda got a huge headache here!'_

'_**This headache woke me up Saku-Chan! Now lest show Mr. Uchiha how we do things, Sakura style!'**_

With that the huge chakra wave busted and Sakura's screaming stopped. Then all of a sudden Itachi and Kakashi watched as Sakura started to get up on her feet.

"How could she…" Kakashi whispered.

Itachi was confused too, but he just charged at her. Stepping up his attacks once more. But Sakura put a clone in to battle with him while she ran to the top of a tree. Itachi saw it was a clone before she summoned it and made it poof away.

"Give up. Your done and can't beat me."

Sakura was flaming with anger. "How dare he think that I am that easily to defeat. Time to show him why everyone back home doesn't want to get me pissed."

'_**Yeah! Kick some Uchiha ass sista!'**_

Giving them a smirk, Sakura jumped off from the tree and gathered chakra in her palm, like she always did.

Kakashi looked up to see the real Sakura falling down towards Itachi.

"Itachi! Move! She is coming from above!"

Itachi looked up and saw that Kakashi was right. He didn't waist his time and he jumped out of the way. The strange part is, is that it looked like Sakura wasn't planning of punching Itachi, it was like she wanted to hit the ground.

"Why does she want to punch the ground."

"Hn. She probably can't stop her attack."

Sakura turned her body to face her teammates and smirked in their faces. "Have fun." Was all she said and then her fist hit the ground.

Before they could tell what happened the whole forest shook like an earthquake just passed. They looked down at their feet and they had to jump on a tree's branch, for the ground was cracking underneath them.

"Impossible! That's an inhuman punch."

"Hn." Itachi said with his Shuringan eyes swirling at the sight.

When the smoke cleared they could see the biggest crater they ever saw. Next to it was a exhausted Sakura, still on her feet.

They jumped off the tree and made their way to her. "Nice job Pinky. I didn't think you could hit like that."

Sakura looked up at him and smiled. "Thanks."

Itachi looked at her and then the crater and then back at her. "How did you break out of my genjutsu."

Sakura looked at him and smiled. "Long story, lest just say, that massive headache woke up something inside me."

"Hn." Was all Itachi said. He then turned his attention to everyone. "We're done here. Kakashi see you tomorrow."

With that Kakashi left the two of them to walk home.

Sakura, shakily, helped herself up only to somewhat drop down to the ground. Itachi saw this and shook his head.

"Can't get up. Can you."

Sakura stuck her cute little tongue out at him. "No thanks to you."

Before Sakura could figure it out what happened, she was on Itachi's back.

"You know I was kidding. You didn't have to carry me." She said with a blushed face.

Itachi turned his head and smirked. "Hn." Was all he said.

Itachi and Sakura decided that it was too early to go home so they went to the park, and sat down on a hill overlooking the village and its sunset.

"Your really fast Itachi. How did you go so fast without using your Chakra?" Sakura asked.

'_If he is this fast then, imagine how fast he is now. I see how he became so powerful, but so fast? It's a crime. His parents push him to hard. I noticed that he only fights when he has to. Funny how that works.'_

"Practice." Was all he said.

Sakura looked over at him to see him looking at the sunset. She couldn't help but giggle at the sight. There in front of her was the S-Class murderer and he was ogling over the sunset. How cute.

"What's so funny." Itachi demanded as he turned all the way around to face her.

Sakura looked up at him in the eyes and giggled even more. "N-Nothing. I-It's just t-that I d-didn't think t-that you o-ogled over a-a sunset."

Itachi's facial expression turned sour and he turned his head to the sunset. "Most people don't think so either. They think I'm someone that only thinks about training, eating, and sleeping."

Sakura stared sadly at him and scooted closer to him. Close enough to place her hand on his shoulder, but he grabbed it off him as fast as it came on his shoulder.

"Don't give me sympathy." He said with his now activated Shuringan eyes.

Sakura, on the inside, was scared out of her mind. But on the outside she shook her head to him. "So your saying that I can't help a friend in need?" she asked giving him a pout.

Itachi's eyes leaked some of his emotions and it was surprise. He never once had a person that wanted to be his friend, well besides his cousin, but that was different.

"How can you say I'm your friend." He said coldly. Looking deep into her eyes.

Sakura shook her head. "You remind me so much of a guy I use to know. He was always so cold, he couldn't except the fact that there were people who wanted to befriend him. He just let himself become distant and soon did something so foolish to hurt everyone that loved him."

What Sakura didn't know was that her fists clenched unconsciously and she was gathering chakra in them. Itachi watched as she let her emotions run haywire.

"And I care."

Sakura turned to the ice cube next to her and without thinking bitch slapped him, without the chakra infused palm. When she realized what she did her expression went from angry to worry to anger again.

Itachi on the other hand just blinked at her. _'Did she just hit me. Why does she care what I do.'_

"I-I'm s-so sorry." She said in a soft voice. That turned into anger. "But you need to realize that there are people who care for you! And if you say something stupid again I will make sure to hit you with one of my chakra infected fists!" She shouted.

Itachi smirked at her, grabbed her waving fist and ended up bringing her way to close to him. He brought his lips up to her ear, making her shiver under him. His smirk grew.

"Who said I would let you hit me?" He said with a sassy voice. Causing Sakura to blush as red as the sky.

"D-Don't underestimate m-me." She stuttered. Not sure what was going to happen.

Itachi held her wrist and let his senses, again, be invaded with her sent. He didn't know what it was but her scent was addicting.

'_What is she doing to me?'_

"Um…..Itachi…..don't you think we need to get home before Mikoto gets mad at us?"

At first Itachi didn't answer her, to tangled up in her scent, but then he nodded his head, let go of her wrist and gave her a piggyback ride.

"Itachi! I can walk you know." Sakura shouted again, squirming around in his hold. Having him tighten his grip around her so she wouldn't fall.

"If you keep squirming around your gonna end up with me dropping you. So shut it and get over yourself."

"Why do you care?" Sakura asked confusingly.

"I can't help a friend in need?" Itachi asked/said throwing Sakura's own words back at her.

Sakura tried so hard to stifle her gasp but it betrayed her and escaped anyway. She then smiled and let her head rest on his shoulder, feeling very exhausted.

"I'm glad we can become friends" Was all she said before she fell asleep on his back.

'_He is so warm.'_

Now when Itachi heard what she said he almost stopped walking, but when he felt her chest rise and fall in a slower pattern against his back he could tell she was asleep.

'_Itou Sakura….Your very different. Different indeed. I think this friendship is going to be quite interesting.' _Itachi thought to himself when he turned to the light girl on his back. And for the first time in what seemed forever he smiled, a true smile.

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-------To

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**Author's Notes: Well that is a wicked long chapter! I hope the fighting scene wasn't so wimpy. I tried to make it action packed, but I don't know if I did that. Also I hope you like my attended fluff at the end there???**

**Well THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING!! NOW REVIEW!!!**

**LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!! AND YOUR PASHENTS AMAZES ME!**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Author's Notes: **_**I'm sorry for not updating in forever it is just that I have a lot of stories and can only update on the weekends so it takes a while to update. Soo I apologize for the wicked delayed chapter!**

'_**Inner Sakura' **__'people's thoughts' _"Talking"

**Now! On with the story!**

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

The next day, the sun shinned brightly through the white curtains. The window was slightly open, having a gentle autumn breeze flow gracefully through the room. The lone figure in the bed was sleeping peacefully. Her body faced the window and started to get hit by the gentle breeze.

"Ugh…." Was what the 13 year old said as she tried to turn away from the sunlight and cool wind. But it proved to be inadequate.

With a loud groan. Sakura slowly revealed her stunning bright green eyes. When Sakura saw the sun out shinning brightly she smiled a small smile.

'_It seems that Autumn is coming soon.'_

Placing her arms on he side, she slowly raised her body up and removed the comfiture off of her. Sitting off the side of the bed, she started to stretch her whole body. Getting out of the bed she began to get ready for her day.

After her shower, and blow-drying her shoulder-length hair, Sakura put on a rob and tried to figure out what to wear, since she summer outfit will not cut it for warmth.

'_What to wear?'_

'_**Why not that cute dark green turtleneck. With the warm black boots and the white pants?'**_

Sakura almost jumped up to the roof when she heard her inner-self talk to her. It had been such a long time since she talked to her.

'_Wow. I'm not use to you being here.'_

Inner-Sakura giggled at her. _**'Well I have been gone for what….two or three years.'**_

'_Well I guess I need a little company since I am in a strange time. Oh yeah. And if your gonna come out, you might not want to expose us!'_

'_**Yeah. Like I would do that.' **_Inner-Sakura said sarcastically.

Sakura shook her head and got dressed in the outfit her inner-self picked out for her. Then Sakura made her way downstairs to where she saw only Itachi and Sasuke. She looked around and made a funny face.

"Hey. Where is Mikoto-Chan and Fugaku-San?" Sakura said.

Little Sasuke's face light up and hugged her to death. "Mommy and Daddy left. All they said in the note was that they had to go on a mission and will not be back till two days from now."

Sakura hugged Sasuke back and nodded her head. She looked at Itachi and smiled his way. He simply nodded his head and stayed where he was.

"Did you guys have breakfast already?"

Sakura looked around to see that the two boys were looking at her like she was insane. She giggled at them and shook her head from side-to-side.

"I guess that means I will be doing the cooking for these two days."

With that Sakura made her way into the kitchen and started to make breakfast for Itachi, Sasuke, and herself. Sakura wasn't in there for too long because twenty minutes later Sakura came out with three plates, maple syrup, and a huge stack of pancakes.

Sakura looked to see Sasuke's eyes widen at the scene. She giggled at his cute face and set down everything on the table.

"Holy Moses! That is a lot of pancakes! Are we gonna eat all of those?!"

Sakura giggled at him as she gave him his plate. "Well between the three of us I think we can eat them all."

Itachi as surprised that she wasn't concerned about her weight like a few of the other female ninja's that he saw around town. But then again, she was different from any girl he has seen and to make him feel even better she was his first friend.

The three of them took their forks and had a plateful of pancakes. By the time they were done, Sasuke had to get ready for school. While he did that Itachi and Sakura started to clean up. While having a little talk to pass the time.

"So Itachi. What time did we get home?" She asked as she picked up some things.

Itachi didn't look her way but answered none the less. "We got home at a reasonable time."

"They didn't say anything when you walked in with me on your back?" She asked even more curiously.

Itachi looked to see her emerald eyes looking dead at him. He could see her confusing and curiosity flash through them.

"Dad was not there and Mom was worried. But I told her you feel asleep and she just nodded her head."

The mention of Itachi's Dad made Sakura feel a bit mad. _'Why is it that he hates me so much? No matter how much I try I can not make anyone except little kids happy.'_

Itachi could sense her mood change and after he dropped off the plates in the sink he saw Sakura frozen in her spot. He walked over to see that she was a little mad and sad. He knew why too.

'_Why would she think about my pitiful father. He doesn't know what she can do. So why does it matter.'_

Itachi had no control over his actions, for he was lost at the fact that her eyes showed so many emotions all at once, and his hand made its way to her shoulder. Itachi didn't notice it until Sakura looked straight at him, in the eye, and started to blush. He looked down and removed his hand.

"I don't know why you care what my Dad thinks." Was all Itachi said.

Sakura couldn't continue the conversation since little Sasuke ran down the stairs at full force. Sakura pushed her red face down and a second before Sasuke came down Itachi was right at her ear.

"Don't think I haven't forgotten about that Tattoo Sakura." He said at a whisper just before Sasuke came down. Sakura couldn't surpass the shiver she felt when ever he was that close to her and on the inside Itachi smirked at the reaction.

Sasuke came down with a strange look on his face. "Niichan…..Sakura-Neechan…..what are you doing?"

Sakura looked at Sasuke with a bright smile on her face. "Don't worry bout it Sasuke-Kun. Your brother just had to tell me something important."

"Is it like a mission or something?"

Itachi smirked at the way Sasuke put his term. "Sasuke. I guess you could say that." Itachi said with a bigger smirk on his face as he watched Sakura shake her head.

Sakura and Itachi walked Sasuke to the Academy and received may confused stares. Sakura smiled at them, while Itachi ignored them. After they dropped off Sasuke, the two of them made their way to meet Kakashi.

Itachi and Sakura made their way to the woods where Itachi and Sakura fought the day before. The one thing that was different about this forest though was that Sakura could sense more people.

Sakura's eyes went wide. _'Your saying Gai-Sensei, Anko, Asuma-Sensei, and Kurenai-Sensei are there!'_

'_**That means we can see Gai when he was our age. How funny is that going to be!'**_

Sakura had to contain her laughter. Come on, you would laugh to if you were thinking of what Gai looked like when he was sixteen.

Sakura's excitement about meeting the adults of her time was getting to her. She couldn't control her emotions. Causing Itachi to look at her with a raised brow.

"Why are you so excited."

Sakura smiled at him and jumped up and down. "I like meeting new people!" Was all she said and it caused Itachi to simply shake his head because of her jumpiness.

--Further in the woods----

Kakashi was with a bunch of people, all of them were 16. Expect one of them who was 15. Anko was getting antsy and was drawling the Kohana symbol in the ground. She had short purple hair with kaki pants, and a brown turtle neck. Accented off with white eyes. She equipped herself with the normal kunai holster and a sword on her back.

"Kakashi! Why are we waiting here?!"

Asuma looked at her and shook his head. He looked at Kakashi to see him too, shaking his head at her. Asuma had spiky brown hair and brown eyes with the normal Junin outfit on.

"That's the spirit Anko! Let the youth spread through you like the wind!" Gai said as he jumped up and down. This hyperactive teen, about he same age as all the others, had on a head to toe green spandex outfit. With a black haired bowl cut and squinty black eyes.

Kurenai was watching, her friend, Anko glare at Gai with a murderous glare. Unlike everyone else she was 15. She had red eyes with the normal Junin outfit as well. And long black curly hair.

"Anko-Chan. Can't you leave Gai alone?" she asked in a whisper. But of course no one heard her.

Everyone stopped what they were doing because they could feel Itachi's chakra, along with someone else's.

Anko turned to Kakashi and glared. "Who is coming here besides Itachi!"

Kurenai placed a hand on her friends shoulder and shook her head. "Don't start a fight Anko-Chan. Please." She said quietly.

Asuma and Gai stood up and watched as the two people appeared out of the woods. While the two girls watched with calculating eyes, well Anko did.

Sakura, on the other hand, was jumping up and down waiting to see what all the Sensei's of her time looked like when they were 15 or 16.

'_This should be good.'_

As Sakura approached the group she could feel all eyes on her. She looked around to see Asuma and Kurenai looked the same as they did in the future and Anko was still the bone chilling woman that she always was. Gai, well he almost made her laugh her ass off.

"Who the hell are you!" Anko yelled.

Sakura looked at her and smiled her way. But Anko glared at her. _'Not the glaring contest again! What the heck!'_

Kurenai tightened her hold on Anko's shoulder and sighed. "Anko-Chan….please stop." Kurenai said in a quiet voice.

Sakura's eyes went wide when she heard Kurenai speak to Anko. For two reasons. One was because the two of them where friends and the second one was that she sounded just like Hinata.

'_Wow. No wonder why Hinata-Chan liked her so much.'_

Kurenai looked at the girl and shook her head. _'Great. Now she thinks something is wrong with Anko-Chan.'_

Kurenai made her way over to Sakura and stuck out her hand. "Hello there. My name is Kurenai. What's yours?"

'_Ok never mind. She talks like Hinata, but her personality is semi different.'_

Sakura smiled at her and shook her hand. "My name is Sakura. I returned from a mission a few days ago. Nice to meet you Kurenai-San!" She said cheerily.

"Oh great another hyper one. Not another one. Gai is enough." Said Asuma.

Sakura turned around and smiled at his way as well. "Well I'm not extremely hyper."

"No just enough to change moods in a flash." Itachi said.

The six of them turned around to see the Uchiha leaning against the tree.

"I don't think I ever heard a word come out of your mouth Uchiha. Most impressive. I think I'm going to like you Sakura." Anko said as she tried to think of schemes of how to trick Itachi now that she had someone he would actually talk to.

Sakura was about to turn around but a huge flash of green came her way and stood in front of her. Holding her hand and kneeling in front of her like they were getting married.

"Sakura! Cherry Blossom! Would you like to grace your beauty upon me and go out with me! Make me the luckiest teen alive!"

Sakura couldn't help herself but to laugh so hard at him. _'He is so much like Lee it isn't even funny. But yet I am laughing so hard.'_

Everyone looked at her like she was insane. Gai looked at her with saddened eyes. He didn't think he was that bad to make her laugh at him.

"Sorry I asked." He said in a sad tone.

Sakura stopped rolling around and got up to her feet as fast as she could. "No, no! It isn't that! It is the fact that you remind me so much like a friend. And I didn't think anyone would act like him, since he was…..one of a kind."

Sakura couldn't believe how much his eyes light up after she said that. Everyone else however watched as Sakura's mood changed within a two second span.

"This girl is crazy." Anko said.

Asuma smacked his head, Kakashi nodded, and Kurenai smiled.

"But I like it!" Anko finished.

Meanwhile with Sakura, Gai was at her side and jumping up and down next to her. He couldn't believe his luck.

'_Look at this! A cute girl actually giving me a chance?! Impossible!'_

Sakura giggled at his face and smiled. _'Oh how much all their Sensei's are like their students. Kurenai is like Hinata, but not. While Gai has a clone and Asuma…well he seems kinda like Shikamaru. I can't wait to see Ino and Chouji characters come out of him.'_

Itachi watched as Gai was all over his friend. And the more he watched the scene unfold the more he could tell he didn't like it. He watched every step Gai took around her. He tried to see if he could picture them together and he just cringed at the thought.

'_She doesn't look good with him. Wait……why do I care.'_

Itachi just shook his head from side-to-side. Kakashi could see the little emotion the Uchiha displayed and he smirked under his mask.

'_So Itachi has a little crush forming on Pinky over here. How cute.'_

After Sakura and Gai made their way over to everyone else the two girls took Sakura and they went into their own little circle to chat and what not. While the other guys stayed where they were.

"So Itachi. Is she the one I hear all the hunter ninja's talking about?" Asuma asked staring at Sakura as she chatted away with Anko and Kurenai.

"Yeah." Was all Itachi said as he watched Asuma closely.

Gai's head shot up like a rocket. "You mean she is the 13 year old?!"

Kakashi would of broken down in hysterical laughter when he saw Gai's face. His eyes were larger than his head and his mouth almost hit the floor.

"Why what's wrong Gai? Don't want to date younger girls?"

Gai's face turned to Asuma and laughed. "Are you kidding?! Why would I give up a beautiful, strong girl. Even if she is 3 years younger?"

The three guys eyes went wide and they had to exceed the temptation to slap their foreheads.

With that said the guys turned their attention to the girls. They watched as they saw Anko more energetic than ever.

"I never seen Anko this energetic before." Kakashi said.

Asuma grinned at Kakashi and so did Itachi. Kakashi looked to see them both staring at them with their faces filled with the ever so common "I-know-something" look.

"Don't even start with that." Was all Kakashi said. He knew what they knew as well, but did not like to admit it.

Meanwhile, with the girls, Sakura was talking to Anko and Kurenai. To her surprise Kurenai was more entertaining when she was around Anko.

"So when Kakashi looked at me like that I just wanted to ring his neck…." Anko said as she made hand jesters while she told her story.

Sakura listened and could see that Anko may have had a tiny crush on him. She smiled a sheepish smile and nudged Kurenai in the side.

Kurenai saw the look Sakura gave her and Kurenai couldn't believe how fast Sakura figured out Anko's secret. It took their group of guys about three months to figure it out.

'_But then again. Men are clueless.'_

Anko stopped in the middle of her story to see Sakura looking at her. "What is up with the face Sakura."

Sakura's grin grew wider. "You seem to be very attracted to Kakashi."

Anko's face went more pale than it was before. She couldn't believe how fast Sakura figured it out.

"How did you…..?"

Sakura giggled and sighed. "I have seen it enough with my friends that I know what it looks like."

"You can't tell him ok?! If you do, I will kill you." Anko said going from scared to murderous.

'_Now that is the Anko I know.'_

"You hear me Sakura?!"

Sakura snapped out of her reminiscing and nodded her head. "Sure Anko. Don't worry your secret is safe with me."

Anko smiled brightly at her and Kurenai just giggled at her new friend and her dear old friend's change in personality.

Sakura and company were going to continue their conversation until a ninja poofed right in-between the whole gang.

"Is Itou Sakura here?" He asked.

The majority of the people looked around until Sakura stood up from her circle of new friends.

"That's me. What can I do for you?" She asked as she made her way to the black dressed man.

The man nodded his head and continued with his message. "The Hokage wanted to me to remind you about researching that scroll."

Sakura's eyes went wide and she gasped so loud you could hear it throughout the forest. "Oh my god! I feel like an idiot!" Sakura shouted wicked angry with herself for forgetting about the scroll.

Everyone watched as Gai came to her side and tried to calm her down. But she totally forgot who was next to her and was zoning out.

"I would get away from her if I were you Gai." Kakashi said with an all-knowing smirk.

Anko and Kurenai looked at him with a confused look and Asuma watched with excitement. Itachi didn't show it but he was happy Gai would be getting punched.

'Why not Kakashi?! I can cheer her up!" Gai claimed loudly. Unfortunately for him Sakura was so mad that she had something slip her mind that she didn't realize that she punched Gai straight in the face and sent him flying through twelve trees. Having everyone gasp at her strength.

"No wonder why those Missing Ninja never stood a chance. She punches like a beast." Asuma said.

Kakashi and Itachi nodded their heads and Anko and Kurenai watched with widened eyes.

"Inhuman strength! Awesome!" Anko shouted. "About time Gai got a punch in the face."

"Sakura-Chan is going to be very entertaining." Kurenai said.

Sakura snapped out of her ravine and saw Gai and a bunch of trees taken out.

'_Oh shit!'_

'_**Way to punch him. The poor man.'**_

"Oh Gai I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!" Sakura shouted.

Gai looked up and smiled at his new crush. "Don't worry about it! I can take it!"

Sakura smiled his way and turned back to the man. "Tell Hokage-Sama that I am so sorry and I will work on it right now!"

The black man nodded and then poofed away.

"Woah! Sakura! I didn't think you could hit that hard." Anko yelled and cheered.

Sakura turned around and her face was a cute shade of pink. She then snapped out of it and smiled a sad smile.

"I'm sorry everyone! But I have to do what the Hokage asked me before I forget! Talk to you later! Nice to meet you all!"

Sakura said as she started to run. Itachi simply nodded at everyone and followed her. Leaving them in the dust.

Kakashi looked around to see almost everyone just blinking at what just happened.

"Well now that I think about it, I was assigned to help out Pinky over there."

"Why? Are you guys a team or something?" Anko asked with a little but of jealously. Kurenai laughed at her friend and every other guy just sighed.

"Don't worry Anko. I only call her that to see her get mad. It is fun. I do it to you all the time." Kakashi said before he poofed off to wherever Itachi and Sakura were.

---At the Library----

Sakura and Itachi entered the library and ran down to the basement. To where all the ancient files and books were kept.

"The Hokage said that you had the scroll. What does it do." Itachi asked as they walked down the million flights of stairs.

"That is the problem. My mission was to get the scroll for him, but he didn't tell me why or anything. So we are here to find out." Sakura said as she saw Kakashi poof right next to them.

"Hey Kakashi."

"Hey there Pinky. Did you like everyone you meet today?"

Sakura smiled and nodded. "Very much." Trying to not notice that he called her Pinky.

--Down in the basement----

After ten more flights of stairs Sakura, Itachi, and Kakashi got right down to work. Sakura cleared off a table and placed the scroll down on the dusty table. With a deep breath she opened the scroll and Itachi and Kakashi got ready incase a genjutsu would be placed on Sakura or something would go flying at them.

When Sakura opened it up all the way she saw that nothing was wrong with it.

"That is different." Was all she said as she started to get into her research mode. Her eyes narrowed and her eyes went to a dull green.

"Normally a scroll has a genjutsu on it." Kakashi said.

"Especially something as valuable as this one." Itachi added.

Sakura nearly gasped at what she saw. Itachi and Kakashi looked her way they saw her run her glowing blue fingers over the scroll.

"No wonder it didn't attack us. It is because there is a genjutsu on the words itself. We have to dispel it. But it will not be easy. We need to gather enough chakra to trick it into attacking it and then we have to manipulate it into dissolving into air."

Kakashi and Itachi looked at her with amazement. "And you could tell all of that by the look of it?" Kakashi asked astounded.

Sakura looked at him and smiled. "Well I didn't tell you this…..but genjutsu is my specialty. So it comes natural."

They both nodded. And after Sakura showed them what would happen to her own chakra when it touched the scroll they saw the yellow chakra come at her. Itachi reacted on instinct and grabbed her hand away before the yellow substance could attack her.

Kakashi smirked at him and Itachi glared. Sakura smiled at him, unaware of what was going on.

After a few tries they were able to get the entire yellow chakra out of the scroll and used half their chakra to dissolve it away.

Once Sakura was sure that they were clear of traps they started to dissect the scroll. It was really hard considering the scroll was in old ancient language.

Sakura looked up at her team and stared at them with empty eyes. The two boys looked at her with confusion. They never saw this side of Sakura before.

"Ok. Kakashi. You need to find all the books you can about scrolls. I don't care if they have elementary scrolls in there."

'_Way to go all military and ordering me around Pinky.'_

Kakashi didn't ask questions and did what he was told. Sakura turned to Itachi and nodded her head at him.

"Itachi. Your going to have to find all the items you can about jutsu's and such."

"How do you know this is a jutsu scroll." He said suspiciously.

Sakura glared at him and sighed. "You can never be too sure."

Kakashi came over to the table and looked at her with confusion. "How do you know what you are doing?"

Sakura giggled at him, her mood changing once again, and winked at him. "All you are doing is reading books and trying to match it up with the scroll. It is like a matching game, but much harder."

"Oh." Was all Kakashi said as he got back to his pile of books to collect.

Sakura then started to run around the room like she was on fire. Going every way possible. Grabbing any book that looked remotely useful.

Itachi and Kakashi were sitting on the ground writing down information on scrolls and reading through the books. They would also watch Sakura from time to time. To see how well she was doing and to their surprise she was almost done with her pile of books. Along with about three scrolls filled with information.

After two more hours of being cooped up in the room Kakashi was about to break.

"I don't know about you guys. But I am leaving. I can't stand being in this room any longer."

Sakura looked up from her scroll and smiled at him. "Oh, I'm sorry Kakashi-**SAN** to keep you locked up in here. You can leave if you want. Thanks so much for your help!"

Kakashi gave Sakura a sarcastic smile, since he caught on to her little game and he nodded towards Itachi.

"I don't know how you can stand Pinky over here Itachi. But….good luck!"

Sakura was about to throw a kunai at him for insulting her but he poofed away to fast.

"I'll get you later Kakashi." She said under her breath.

Itachi looked at her and shook his head.

'_It is like Sakura and Kakashi are like siblings sometimes.'_

The both of them returned back to their work. After another three hours of working, Itachi looked up to see it was time to pick up his brother.

"Sakura. We need to go. Sasuke will be waiting for us."

Sakura put down a huge book and nodded her head. She took all their information, and the scroll and they left. They practically ran to pick up Sasuke. When they got there they saw Iruka holding Naruto and Sasuke back before they hurt each other.

"Oh come on guys." Sakura said to herself. Itachi looked at the corner of his eye and saw how she saw so exhausted.

'_Well I guess researching does take a lot out of you.'_

"Boys please don't fight." Iruka tried to calm them down, when he saw Sakura and Itachi come he couldn't be even more relieved.

Sakura smiled at Iruka and he waved at her. She broke up their fight and Naruto and Sasuke both stormed off home mad as a bull.

"Sasuke-Kun. Please do not be mad. You both need to get along." Sakura said to him. But Sasuke didn't want to hear anything of it.

"Sasuke. I would suggest you listen to Sakura." Itachi said as he saw Sakura smile at him in the corner of his eye.

Sasuke looked at his older brother and groaned. "Why are you always on Neechan's side?!" He yelled.

Sakura groaned at his question and Itachi just shook his head. "Because Sasuke-Kun. Your brother and I are friends and since your parents are not here for the next two days we need to stick together." She said as she placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder.

Sasuke looked at her wide eyed when she said that his brother and her were friends. His shock then was covered with a smile and he started to jump up and down.

"Awesome! That means you are going to live with us forever!"

Sakura smiled at him and turned to Itachi. When she did she saw him just staring at her. And only her. She tried to think nothing of it and she smiled at him as well.

Instead of eating a former dinner Sakura introduced take out to the Uchiha boys. They loved it so much that Sakura had to order more.

"See what happens when you live life outside walls people build around for you?" She said with a smile.

Sasuke laughed and giggled. Itachi watched Sakura as she acted like the mother of the house. Running all over cleaning up and straightening everything out, along with trying to get more information on that scroll.

'_She will not leave that thing alone.'_

Sasuke watched her run back and forth, dodging all the furniture and not knocking over anything.

"How does Neechan do that?!" Sasuke asked in wonder.

Itachi grabbed his brother and gave him a rustle on the head. "Girls can multitask without much thought. It is like second nature to them."

Sakura popped her head out of the kitchen and smiled up at the two boys on the couch. "Your brother has that right. I would listen to him once and a while."

Sasuke giggled when he saw his older brother glare and saw Sakura stick her tongue out at him. But he didn't get to watch long because Itachi told him to go to bed.

After Itachi and Sakura said good night to him they went downstairs and sat on the couch. Itachi watched Sakura as she went through the whole data they collected. He had no idea Sakura had this much energy to do this much.

'_It explains her stamina.'_

"You might want to take a break Sakura. You can't fry yourself on the first night."

Sakura took her eyes off the scroll for one minute and smiled at her friend. "I know that. It is just that this scroll….from what we have found it is just leading us in circles and we still have no idea what it does or how it activates."

Itachi watched as Sakura started to place her hands on her head and pull on her pink locks out of frustration.

"Sakura. Calm down." Itachi said as he grabbed her hand and pulled it away from her head.

Sakura's attention went from the book to the person who pulled her hands out of her hair. She tried to read Itachi's face for a reason why he was so concerned for her but she only saw clouded eyes.

'_Wait I know why he is so concerned! I remember him saying that we were friends. I can't believe that I am becoming friends with a murderer.'_

'_**Maybe we can change the past. Hence changing the present right now. Making us being able to change the future.'**_

Itachi studied his friend with close eyes. There was something she wasn't telling him. She knew something about that scroll, but for some reason she wasn't telling him. And here she is now, trying to figure something out and he hated to be placed in the dark.

"Sakura." He said with a stern voice.

Sakura snapped out of her thoughts and gave Itachi a questionable glance. They still didn't remove their hands.

"Yeah Itachi?"

"Your hiding something about that scroll. Tell me what it is."

Sakura's eyes went wide and she nearly cursed out loud.

'_Fuck! What do I do?!'_

'_**We have to come up with a plan.'**_

'_Do you think he is talking about the scroll?'_

'_**Duh.'**_

'_Ok, ok, ok. Think. How can we explain this?!'_

Sakura didn't have time to think though because Itachi tightened his grip on her hand and spoke a little louder.

"Sakura. Answer me."

Sakura didn't know what to do. She was stuck. All she could do was try to figure out what exactly he wanted to know.

"Huh?" She asked.

Itachi glared at her. "You know something about that scroll. Tell me."

'_I knew it was that stupid scroll.'_

"Oh. Well I didn't want you both to worry about it or anything so I didn't tell you."

Itachi narrowed his eyes down at her and backed her up to the corner of the couch. "Tell me Sakura. Now."

Sakura turned pink with the closeness of their distance and sighed. Trying to get the pink to go away. "W-Well it was j-just that the s-scroll activated o-on me when I w-was coming b-back from my m-mission. That's it."

Itachi's glare intensified ten fold and he made Sakura back into the couch even more. If that was possible. He was now on her and Sakura was sitting there with him kneeling on the sides of her body.

"Why didn't you tell us. It could be a valuable piece of evidence for this research and you could have been hurt…."

Sakura couldn't believe her ears. Did Itachi just worry about her? Since when did an Uchiha, let alone Itachi, worry about her?

She couldn't help but blink at what he just said. Itachi just grunted at himself. He got off her and picked up the scrolls.

'_I can't believe I just said that. What came over me.'_

"What are you doing with those scrolls?" Sakura asked.

Itachi didn't turn around and made his way upstairs. "So you can actually get some rest and not be a walking zombie tomorrow. You worry too much and that can hurt you in a mission."

Sakura's eyes went wide and she still couldn't believe her ears. _'Did he just worry about me…again?!'_

'_**That is interesting.'**_

Meanwhile, Itachi just ran upstairs, placed a jutsu on the scrolls and shook his head back and forth.

'_What is wrong with me. That is twice in a minute that I worried about her. What is she doing to me.'_

Itachi tried his hardest to figure out why he was worried about her but he couldn't figure it out. He just tried to clear his head and went to bed.

But Sakura was left on the couch confused out of her mind. She had no idea what just happened and had no idea that Itachi cared about her that much.

'_Well this is really different. Maybe Itachi isn't that bad after all. Maybe I can change the present. Which would technically be the past….ahhh I'm to confused.'_

'_**He is just over protective of his friend that is all. You have to think of it in his point of view. You're his only friend. And I don't think he wants to lose that.'**_

'_I guess so.'_

With a new thing learned in her mind, Sakura made her way upstairs and got ready for bed. Once her head hit the pillow Sakura was out like a light. Thinking about how things would be if she changed the past.

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**TO**

**BE**

**CONTUNIED**

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**Author's notes: well there u have it folks! Some ItaXSaku for you and I guarantee you some more once they go on a real mission. Don't worry they will not be researching the scroll the whole time and Sakura's tattoo will be explained on the way to their mission. Aren't I evil??? Lmfao!**

**Review please!!!**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Author's Notes: **_**Hey there everybody! What's up? Hope everyone will have a awesome Christmas! Or have a good wat ever holiday they celebrate……but anyways! Sorry for delay in posting chapters it is just I have to many stories and not enough weekends to post them. So the days really do fly by……but enough of my blabbering……ON WITH THE STORY!!!**

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

It was the middle of the night and Sakura was tossing and turning in her bed. She was asleep, but she was having a nightmare. The dream got to the point where it was so agonizing that she jolted out of bed. Breathing heavily.

Sakura's eyes were wide, sweat was pouring down her face, and her heart was pounding at an extremely fast beat.

'_The dream……it felt so real…….'_

'_**Well nightmares are suppose to do that to you.'**_

'_I never had one that bad since I was little.'_

'_**It's ok. I'm sure the thing will pass.'**_

'_I don't think a dream were all my friends die in front of me, where I can't do anything, will pass with a snap of your fingers.'_

'_**Just don't think about it.'**_

'_Yeah I guess your right.'_

Sakura took a deep breath in and a deep breath out. With great caution, Sakura got up from the bed and made her way to the bathroom.

'_Thanks to that depressing dream, I'm all sweaty. Just peachy.'_

Sakura stripped her cloths and instead of taking a shower, which would wake up the two boys in the house, Sakura took a wash cloth and soaked it with water. She stepped in the tub and started to wet herself down.

After she was done, Sakura took one of her red long sleeves shirts and black sweatpants, that she got from Mikoto before she left, and put them on.

'_Ahhhh. Much better. All freshened up.'_

'_**Now the trick is going back to sleep.'**_

'_Yeah I know right?'_

Sakura shook her head, once again, and started to make her way to her bed, but when she passed the study desk in the room she saw something glowing.

Sakura made a face at the desk and walked towards it. When Sakura got to the desk she saw that her vest pocket was glowing. Narrowing her eyes at it, Sakura placed her hand in the pocket to take out the scroll that she had ever since she came to the past.

'_Why is the scroll glowing? That's odd.'_

Sakura watched as the light blue glow brightened once she touched it. Taking a gulp, Sakura started to unravel the scroll. As she did, her eyes went wide.

'_What kind of scroll is this?!'_

Sakura was about to close it but when she tried to, she was frozen in her spot.

'_What is going on?!'_

But that was the her last thought because the bright light blue glow attacked her and she fell to the floor unconscious.

----The Next Morning------

Itachi woke up at his usual time. He got dressed and went downstairs, but not after checking to see if Sakura and Sasuke were still asleep. He looked to see that they were still asleep.

'_Well I don't expect them to be up at 6:30.'_

Itachi made his way downstairs and made his way outside.

'_While those two are still asleep, I guess I will train. What else am I going to do?'_

Itachi trained for a few hours until he saw it was time to wake up his little brother for school. Itachi whipped the sweat from his forehead and made his way into the mansion. He left behind a massive amount of trees pulled out of the ground, huge holes in the ground, and a few target boards out there with shuriken right on the bulls eye.

After Itachi washed his face, he made his way to his little brother's room. Opening the door wide Itachi snuck up on Sasuke and with one single word his entertainment began.

"Boo." Itachi said in a loud, but not so loud, manner.

Sasuke, who was a average sleeper, nearly jumped out of his socks when Itachi said Boo right in his tiny little ear.

"AHHHH!!!!" little Sasuke screamed at the top of his lungs. He jumped so high out of his bed Itachi swore if he jumped any higher he would of hit his head on the ceiling.

Itachi couldn't surpass a light chuckle at his little brothers actions. Sasuke turned his head to the side to see his older brother laughing at him.

"Nii-Chan!" Sasuke shouted at Itachi as his heavy breathing slowed down back to normal. "Why did you scare me like that?!"

Itachi ruffled Sasuke's hand and shook his head. "It is what older brothers do Sasuke."

Sasuke looked up at Itachi with awe. "Really?" He questioned.

Itachi nodded his head. "Of course."

Sasuke jumped out of bed and walked with Itachi out the door. "Do you think I will be an older brother?!" Sasuke asked excitedly.

'_Then I could do exactly what Nii-Chan did to me to my little brother!'_

Itachi nearly lost his footing at Sasuke's little comment. He looked over to see Sasuke fantasizing about him being an older brother. He couldn't help but smirk at his little brother.

'_The things he says. Wait till I tell Sakura what he said.'_

Speaking of Sakura, Itachi started to walk to her door. It isn't like they did any physical workout, so her body shouldn't be worn out. All they did was just some research on that stupid scroll.

'_So she did fry herself. I told her not to.'_

Itachi simply shook his head and was about to take Sasuke downstairs to feed him, when Sasuke stopped at Sakura's door.

"Nii-Chan……Do you think Nee-Chan is awake?"

Itachi walked over to Sasuke and stared at the door. "What do you think Sasuke?"

Sasuke looked up at Itachi and smiled. "Well if she is, she will not be for long!" Sasuke shouted as he opened the door and ran as fast as he could to her bed.

Itachi just waited outside, not wanting to be there when Sakura was bursting with anger. But when Sasuke screamed a loud ear piercing scream he couldn't help but run into the room as well.

"Nii-Chan! L-L-Look!" Sasuke said frantically as he pointed to Sakura.

Itachi followed his finger to a fallen Sakura on the floor. Itachi grabbed Sasuke by the shoulder and placed him behind him.

'_What ever knocked out Sakura could still be active.'_

With great caution, Itachi moved towards Sakura's body. He examined her body, but he wasn't a medic so he really couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. He looked around the area and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Her vest was on the desk, the chair was moved and something was lying on the floor near her hand.

Itachi kneeled down at Sakura's side and very slowly lowered his head to see what exactly was lying on the floor. What he saw made his eyes widen.

'_T-The scroll!'_

Itachi grabbed the opened scroll and threw it across the room, hoping that if he separated the scroll from Sakura it wouldn't effect her anymore than it had.

He then looked at her to see her breathing slower than normal.

'_The scroll must of knocked her out somehow. I better call a few people too make sure she is ok.'_

Itachi turned to Sasuke. "Sasuke, I need you to call Kakashi and tell him to bring Anko, Asuma, Gai, and Kurenai over here. Now."

Sasuke was still looking at Sakura and couldn't really utter any words, so he nodded his head and ran downstairs at lighting speed.

Itachi waited for Sasuke to be out of the room before he scooped up Sakura, very gently, bridal style and made his way downstairs.

There he saw Sasuke screaming out Kakashi's name and in no time Kakashi entered the living room with a poof of smoke.

"Hey there little Sasuke. What do you need me for?" Kakashi asked.

Sasuke looked up at the older man and was shaking his head back and forth. When he looked to his side he saw his older brother carrying Sakura down and placing her on the couch.

Kakashi looked in the direction of where Sasuke was looking and saw his partner carrying his new one.

'_What could of happened here?'_

Kakashi patted Sasuke on the head and walked over to Itachi. He looked at Sakura's body, but didn't see anything wrong with her.

"Hey Itachi. Why did you have Sasuke call me?"

Kakashi looked to see Itachi staring at Sakura. He waited a few minutes for Itachi to answer.

"She was found lying on the ground. Unconscious."

Kakashi raised a brow at him. "Yeah and…..?"

Itachi glared at Kakashi with Shuringan eyes. "That scroll we were researching was unrolled lying out in the open next to her."

Kakashi nodded his head. Knowing what he was getting to.

'_So the scroll attacked Sakura. Now he wants to figure out how and why.'_

"You want me to get everyone over here?" Kakashi looked to see Itachi nodding his head.

Kakashi made a few rapid hand seals and sure enough Anko, Asuma, Gai, and Kurenai were right in front of Itachi in his living room. Anko looked, no more like glared at Kakashi, and everyone raised their eye brow towards the two people.

"Why are we here Kakashi!" Anko yelled.

Kakashi sighed and Asuma looked to see Itachi looking serious at them.

"Hey Itachi, what got you twisted into a knot?" Asuma asked.

Itachi turned his attention to everyone in the room and Sasuke was right there in the middle of everyone.

"Nee-Chan fainted in her room!" Sasuke shouted at everyone. When he saw that they all looked at him he continued. "See!" He pointed to the couch and everyone saw Sakura on the couch.

"So she is sleeping. What is the big deal?" Kurenai asked.

Itachi turned to everyone once she said that. "I'm only going to say this once. Kakashi, Sakura, and I left yesterday to decode a scroll. Sakura was assigned to decode that scroll for Hokage-Sama. When Sasuke and I found her the scroll was right next to her."

Everyone's eyes went wide and they looked straight at Sakura.

"So where is the scroll now?" Gai asked.

"In her room. I'll get it and bring it down. I want some of you to figure out why the scroll went off and others figure out when she will come out of her coma." Itachi demanded as he made his way upstairs to get the scroll.

Anko and Kurenai made their way to Sakura, while Asuma and Gai went near Kakashi.

"Will Nee-Chan be ok?" Sasuke asked as he went over to Anko and Kurenai.

Anko didn't do anything and still looked over Sakura, Kurenai turned to Sasuke and gave him a friendly smile.

"Don't worry Sasuke-Chan. She will be fine. She is pretty strong."

Sasuke was about to add to it but his big brother came down the stairs and slammed the scroll on the table.

Asuma, Gai, Kurenai, Anko, Kakashi, Itachi, and Sasuke came around it and just stared at the plain black and white scroll.

"Doesn't look that important." Kurenai said.

"It's in old language." Anko analyzed.

"This is going to take longer than I thought." Asuma said.

"Don't give up! Let the power of youth run through your veins!" Gai shouted as he leaned closer to the scroll to get a better look.

--------**With Sakura**-------

Sakura didn't get up right away. She laid down where ever she was and stayed there until she felt like getting up.

'_What the hell was that? The scroll like attacked me.'_

'_**It was a little strange.'**_

'_Yeah. I thought the damn scroll would be dormant after it sent me to the past.'_

'_**Apparently not.'**_

Groaning a loud groan, Sakura moved her arms and lifted herself off the ground. When she opened her eyes all she saw was a white plan of nothing in front of her.

'_Where am I?'_

'**Your inside my scroll.'**

Sakura nearly jumped out of her skin. She looked around left and right. But she didn't see anything.

Sakura moved her mouth to talk to what ever or who ever answered her but when she did, nothing came out.

'_What the…..'_

'**This is my domain little one. We can only communicate through thoughts.'**

Sakura still couldn't believe what was going on. Here she was, stuck in a scroll, talking to whoever is trapped in the scroll.

'_Watch it be some psycho path.'_

'**Now, now. That isn't a way to treat your host.'**

And before Sakura knew it a serge of pain came over her. She fell to her knees and held back her scream with every ounce of will power that she had.

'_What is going on!'_

'_**We better listen to him. Who knows what other things he can do to us.'**_

'_In this domain none of my thoughts are private.'_

**----**With everyone else­------

As Gai leaned into the scroll it started to glow a light blue. Gai backed his head away from the scroll so everyone could get a good look at how the scroll activates.

Sasuke wasn't looking as the scroll anymore for he heard a low grunt of pain. When he went over to Sakura he saw her twitching and biting her lip in pain.

"Nee-Chan!" Sasuke yelled.

His yell got everyone's attention and they turned to where he was. They saw the same exact thing as Sasuke, but now there Sakura had cuts randomly appearing on her skin.

"What kind of a scroll is this?!" Anko yelled as she ran to Sakura with Kurenai by her side and they started to heal Sakura's cuts. But since they were not medics they did it the normal way.

But the strangest part was that as fast as it came it went.

"This is one of the strangest scrolls I did ever see." Gai said as he went back to the scroll, after he made sure that Sakura was ok, and tried to decipher it.

----**With Sakura**----

Sakura waited for the pain to get worse, but the strange part was that it never did.

'_What…it….it stopped.'_

'**Now that you know that I take insults personally, lets start all over.'**

Sakura narrowed her eyes at the white plain and got in a defensive position. She then heard a chuckle.

'**Oh little one, you have been on the edge to much for your lifetime. You can relax in my presence.'**

Sakura started to laugh at the person. _'Well after I get attacked by what ever you attacked me with….I don't think so.'_

'**Oh can you blame me? You know better than anyone that it hurts to be called something you are not.'**

Sakura's head went down in shame. _'Their right. I feel like such a ass now.'_

'**Don't be hard on yourself Sakura-Chan……'**

'_How do you know my name?!'_

She was a little startled that some ancient scroll knew her name. As Sakura let her guard up even more, she then saw something moving from the distance. Reaching for her kunai at her side, she realized that her weapons were gone.

'_**Well if we don't have weapons, then we can use our chakra.'**_

Sakura nodded her head, and noticed that the person didn't talk back to her.

'_**They can't read my thoughts. That's a good thing. So wait till they come out and reveal themselves and then attack.'**_

Sakura, taking her inner-selves advice, she waited for the figure to come clear. And soon the figure appeared in front of her.

Sakura looked the figure up and down. The person had long sliver hair, that went to her mid-back. Her skin was pale, but not too pale, and her eyes were ice blue.

'**She is beautiful.'**

'_Yeah, she is.'_

The lady smiled her way and started to walk towards Sakura. Sakura took a step back but didn't stop to admire her beautiful dress. It was so long it would form a trail as she walked. The dress was form fitting and was a sky blue, with white that went over it, with a black outline of roses all over. On the edges there was gold lining.

'_**Even if she did attack us. She still has good taste.'**_

Sakura just nodded her head in return and continued to step back as the person stepped forward.

'_Who are you! what do you want from me?!' _Sakura yelled at her as she put her fists up in front of her.

The beautiful woman stopped walking and stared at Sakura. **'You have no need to be scared of me Sakura-Chan. I'm your friend.'**

Sakura couldn't take much more of this and so she gathered Chakra in her fists and glared at the woman.

'_Fine. If you will not tell me I guess I will have to beat it out of you.'_

The woman looked at her and narrowed her eyes at her fists.

'**Lets see if what they say about you is true.' **

Sakura just brushed off what she said and ran full force at the woman.

---**With everyone in the living room**---

It had been an hour since they last saw any movement from the scroll and Sakura.

"Ugh! This is getting us no where!" Anko screamed as she threw one of her kunai's at the wall. Making Sasuke jump out of his skin and run to hide behind the couch.

"Watch your temper Anko. You sacred the poor boy." Kurenai said as she walked behind the couch to comfort Sasuke.

"I can't believe I'm saying this…..but I agree with Anko on this one." Asuma said as he scratched his head as he read a few lines from the scroll. "This scroll makes no sense. It is just leading us in circles. One sentence they talk about past present and future, and then the next they talk about pure hearts."

"Don't give up! We have to keep looking! For Sakura's sake!" Gai yelled as he grabbed the scroll and started to read it.

After Kurenai came from behind the couch with Sasuke she looked at Sakura's still form, but when she did a double take and saw her hands glowing blue.

"Guys!" Kurenai yelled. As she and Sasuke ran in front of the couch Sakura was on.

Itachi was the first one there before the other men and watched with Shuringain eyes. Trying and hoping to figure out what was going on.

'_Her chakra is surging through her like crazy. What ever this stupid scroll did to her…..it is stressing her out.'_

"Look! Nee-Chan! Her ankle is glowing!" Sasuke pointed out as he ran to her ankle, as did Kakashi and Itachi.

"Itachi. It's the tattoo." Kakashi said as he narrowed his eyes at it.

"Why would a 13 year old have a tattoo? That's nuts." Asuma said as he looked at the glowing tattoo.

"We were going to get the story, but the Hokage called us." Itachi said as he grinded his teeth together.

----**With Sakura**----

'_Here I come!'_

The woman just stood there, not afraid of the power Sakura held in her hand.

'**Please reconsider what you are doing.' **Was all she said.

Sakura didn't flinch and saw that her tattoo was glowing. She then stopped running.

'_What are you? No human can make my tattoo glow.'_

The "lady" in front of her smiled. **'Your right. I'm not human. But I didn't think that the demons would give you that.'**

Sakura backed up again and narrowed her eyes at her. _'Gaara and Naruto thought it would be a good idea to put a mark on me so that way if another demon attacked me, they would know not to. It is like a protection symbol.'_

The "lady" smiled her way and continued to walk up to her. Making the symbol glow brighter. As if a warning.

'**If you trust me, the glow will go away. Please. I need you to trust me.'**

Sakura was a little questionable about trusting the demon in front of her. But she tried to.

'_So that means you're a demon. Why are you locked in this scroll?'_

'**The rumors are true. You are smart. And well I might as well start from the beginning.' **She said as she eyed the still glowing tattoo.

----**With everyone---**

"This is too weird. And I have seen weird." Anko said as she studied the tattoo.

Itachi was about to answer her but the door bell rang. He growled for being interrupted but made his way to the door. When he opened the door in came the Hokage, Iruka, and Naruto.

"Hokage-Sama. What can I do for you." Itachi said, hiding his anger.

The Hokage and company walked in the house. The Hokage turned to Itachi and smiled at him.

"I heard that most of my Junin are missing so I needed to see why. And when I come here, here they are. Why?"

Everyone behind Itachi looked at each other and smiled a foxy grin at him.

"You see Hokage-Sama….." Kakashi started.

"Itachi called us here." Anko said.

The Hokage looked back at Itachi and raised a brow. "Why is that?"

Itachi looked at his fellow members. And sighed.

'_He could help us actually.'_

"The scroll you ordered Sakura to get activated on her last night, and this morning Sasuke and I found her unconscious on the ground. And from there we have been trying to figure out why."

Naruto ran away from Iruka and ran to the couch. Not forgetting to glare at Sasuke as he ran by him. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Sakura on the couch. What caught his attention was the glowing thing around her ankle.

"Iruka-Sensei! Sakura-Nee-Chan's ankle is doing something funny!" Naruto pointed out.

Iruka ran to the couch to see exactly what everyone else was seeing. Even the Hokage ran too.

'_Well that's something you don't see every day. These people are going to wonder what it is. I better save Sakura the trouble.'_

The Hokage looked at everyone and sighed. "Well this is interesting."

"You know what it is. Don't you." Itachi said as he saw the Hokage nod his head.

"Iruka….can you bring the children into another room? Please?"

Iruka didn't question him and did what he said, taking them upstairs into Sasuke's room.

Anko was at his throat. "You better tell us, now!" she yelled as she took his collar and lifted him off his feet.

"Anko, please, calm down. I will tell everyone everything. Don't worry."

Anko didn't like his answer, but she let him go. Even though she met Sakura yesterday, Anko felt attached to Sakura.

"You all better sit." He watched as everyone did. He then coughed to clear his throat. "The reason why Sakura's ankle is glowing is because the "tattoo" on her ankle is a protection seal."

Itachi glared at nothing unparticular, and everyone nodded their heads for the Hokage to continue.

"The seal, is made from demons, as an act to protect someone or something they care for, so that way no other demons will cause harm to it."

"But Sakura doesn't know any demons!" Gai shouted.

"That isn't true. She met Naruto about two days ago, and she doesn't even know it." Kakashi said.

Itachi snapped his head in the air and stared at the Hokage. "Can the seal be placed without the person knowing it." Itachi said as he tried to figure out other demons besides Naruto.

"No. The seal can be placed by as many demons as desired. The containers that hold the demon's inside them, have to also contribute their chakra to it."

"Well that rules out the blonde boy." Anko said.

"But then….. who is left?" Asuma asked as he tried to think of other demon containers.

The Hokage shook his head. "Naruto isn't the only one in the world with a demon inside him. Could be impossible to tell. Since she was on that mission for about 3 months we may never know."

"How do you make it glow." Itachi demanded.

The Hokage smiled at the young genius in front of him. _'Getting a little crush I see.'_

"The seal will not activate on humans, for humans don't activate it. It will only glow when another demon is in presence and the person with the seal doesn't trust them."

The Hokage watched as everyone's eyes went wide and they looked at the scroll with realization.

"We have to figure this out! For the safely of Sakura!" Gai shouted out loud making his ever so famous nice guy pose.

Everyone nodded and Asuma went up to go get Iruka and the two boys.

"We better get to work then." Kakashi said as he activated his Shuringan and started to read the scrolls chakra levels. Trying to get a lead on where the scroll came from.

----**With Sakura**----

'**I am one out of the famous demons that once roamed the earth. A long time ago when everyone started to go insane, Kyuubi and Shukaku thought that it would be safe enough to seal me in a scroll, to save me. Making it so I would never be sealed into a person.'**

'_Like Naruto and Gaara…..so that's why Tsunade wanted the scroll. Because since the Akatsuki already have seven out of the nine demons….'_

'**Exactly. But we know for a fact that without me and Kyuubi they can not make their weapon……and you should know that weapon better than anyone.'**

'_You saying that because I was able to break in once or twice….?'_

She chuckled at Sakura and stretched out her hand to rest it on her shoulder. To the demon's surprise, no wall came in-between them. Making her smile

'**Yes, that is why I say it. But without you, they can not combine our demonic power to make their weapon……'**

'_To whip out a single country when ever they damn well please……wait a minute…..what do you mean they can't do anything without me?'_

That was when the demon smiled.

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to

be

continued

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**Author's notes: Well I hope everyone enjoyed that! And I hope you all have a happy holiday n happy new-year!!!**

**Please review!!!**


	8. Chapter 8

_**Author's Notes: **_ I can't believe how many people reviewed to that chapter!! Well that is going to be a hard chapter to beat. Well I am so happy everyone enjoyed that chapter, I hope everyone will enjoy this one as much as the last one.

'**Demon's thoughts'**

'_**Inner Sakura's thoughts'**_

"Talking"

'_Thoughts'___

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'**Yes, that is why I say it. But without you, they can not combine our demonic power to make their weapon……'**

'_To whip out a single country when ever they damn well please……wait a minute…..what do you mean they can't do anything without me?'_

That was when the demon smiled. **'They didn't tell you?' **She said still with a smile on her face.

Sakura looked up at the Demon with a confused expression still planted on her face.

'_Who didn't tell me what? I'm so confused!'_

The Demon watched Sakura as she raised her hands up to her temples and start to make tiny circles on each side of her forehead. Trying to surpass the headache she was getting from thinking to much. The Demon shook her head in pity and pulled Sakura into a comforting hug.

'**Sakura-Chan, just listen to me. Don't over think because if you try to over-understand what I am about to tell you, I'm not sure how well it will process. Besides, your stressing yourself out. That isn't healthy for a growing girl.'**

Sakura just nodded her head as her and the Demon sank to the floor. Sakura just sat there like a little kid getting comforted by her mother after something terrible happened.

'_Ok. Just tell me what you mean exactly when you said that they can't do anything without me.'_

'**Your chakra is what they need to combine all our demonic powers together. They could have all the demons in the world, but if they do not have you they can't make their weapon of mass destruction. Making their hunt pointless and a waist of time.'**

Sakura's mouth dropped to the floor, images of the whole project that the organization has been working on flashed through her mind. What really confused her was why her? Why was she the one they needed?

'_Why me? Why is it just me?' _Sakura couldn't believe that something so powerful relayed on something as simple as her. But she was still confused as to why her Chakra was **the chakra** needed.

The Demon smiled down at Sakura and they broke apart, but the were still sitting on the ground. Only a few feet away from each other. **'I'm not going to load you up on the details right now, so I will just give you the basics. Every one thousand years, one certain chakra is picked out of the bunch to be "pure". The Chakra picked out has to have the special requirements needed.' **

Sakura looked up at the Demon and raised her slim pink brow in her direction.

'_Huh?'_

The Demon couldn't help but laugh at Sakura's comment. **'It basically saying how your chakra isn't tainted with evil desires, or vengeance. Your life hasn't sent you to do certain actions, that would be considered evil.'**

'_But I'm not the only one who is pure. Hinata is pure too, so is Ten-Ten. Or even Ino-Pig.'_

The Demon looked at Sakura and shook her head. **'Did you not hear me? Not just anyone can have it. The person needs to have unmistakable chakra control, an untainted heart, and the person puts people before themselves no matter what. And that Sakura-Chan, that would be you.'**

Sakura still stared at the woman across from her with a unreadable expression. The Demon couldn't figure out if Sakura understood what she said. To her relief though, Sakura slowly nodded her head in understanding.

'_I think I get it. So I have the chakra because I have an untainted heart, I put everyone before me, and I have an untainted heart. But why did you have to send me to the past?'_ This question had been driving Sakura crazy. For the few days she had been in the past she couldn't figure out why exactly she was here. But now the demon could finally answer the question no one could answer.

'**I knew you would as me that sooner or later. The reason why you have traveled back to the past is because……'**

Sakura stared at the Demon hopping she would continue, but something was terribly wrong. Her face turned extremely pale and her face began to sweat. Sakura was alarmed and started to examine her with her medic trained eyes. But the Demon shook her head. For she knew what was happening.

'**It seems that your friends would like you out of my hold. Looks like you have made some friends within the couple of days you have been here.' **The Demon smiled at Sakura.

Sakura didn't pay much attention to it and just watched as the white plain dripped down like wet paint does in the cartoon shows. She also noticed how the room started to become colorful again. Sakura then looked at the Demon and captured her hands before she could completely go away from Sakura. There were so many questions she wanted answers to.

'_Wait don't go! I still have tons of questions! Why am I here?! How do I get home?! What's your name?! Who else knows about this?!'_

The Demon smiled a weak smile at her. **'So many questions Sakura-Chan. All I can say is that the answers will come with time. It takes much power to bring you to me, let alone even keep you on this plane for the time I have been able to keep yourself here. But the least I can do is give you my name.'**

Sakura watched eyes wide, as her voice went from a gleaming confidence to a weak voice. It seems that their time was slipping at an uncontrollable rate, which Sakura couldn't stop.

Green eyes darted around the soon to be vanished white plain. She could hear mumblings and then the mumbles became clearer.

"I almost got it!"

"Hurry up! She is slipping!"

"It should of broke by now!"

"The demon is holding on pretty strongly. This might take a little bit more effort."

"Then add more power."

"The scroll is covered in light blue Chakra! Hurry!"

Sakura shook her head, trying to focus less on the voices and more on the demon that was slowly vanishing into air in front of her eyes.

'_Please! Tell me who you are!'_

The Demon smiled brightly at her. **'My name……it's……it's Anri……'**

And with that Sakura watched as Anri disappeared right in front of her. Sakura blinked a few times trying to process if everything that happened was real. Before she knew it, the colorful world that came back began to get dark.

'_What the hell is going on!'_

'_**I think we are returning back to reality.'**_

------With everyone else-------

Kakashi was scanning the scroll with his Shuringan eyes, while Itachi scanned Sakura with his Shuringan eyes. Anko, Gai, Asuma, and Kurenai were reading other scrolls to figure out how the scroll worked. Naruto and Sasuke were sitting at Sakura's side of the couch, waiting for her to wake up. The Hokage and Iruka sat there hoping everything will turn out good. There wasn't much they could do besides wait.

As Kakashi read the scroll over and over he couldn't find a hole in it at all. He looked over the scroll so many times he could practically see every detail in his mind if he had to.

'_This scroll is pretty solid. There are no slip ups that I can see with the way the Chakra is formed…….wait a minute.'_

Anri must have been concentrating on trying to explain things to Sakura because Kakashi saw a hole in the scrolls chakra.

'_Better do it now!'_

Kakashi shouted for everyone to get over to where he was, everyone ran to his side except the two little boys. They stayed with Sakura.

"What do you got Kakashi." Anko said glaring at him.

Kakashi ignored her and started to form some seals. "I found a hole in the scrolls defense chakra, so I'm going to try to see if I can plunge my chakra in there so I can break off what ever the Demon has placed on Sakura."

Itachi narrowed his red eyes at the scroll and watched as Kakashi's and the Demon's Chakra meshed together.

'_If that demon does anything to Sakura……so help me god….' _Itachi thought as his fists clenched together, waiting for something to happen.

"I almost got it!" Kakashi yelled as he pushed more Chakra into the scroll. The scroll was reacting to the chakra with surging light blue chakra. It was trying to attack Kakashi but Itachi plunged his chakra in there to help.

"Hurry up! She is slipping!" Anko said as she ran to Sakura feeling how pale and sickly she was starting to look.

"It should of broke by now!" Kurenai shouted worriedly, not really sure how this would turn out. She was hoping for the best though.

"The demon is holding on pretty strongly. This might take a little bit more effort." Kakashi said as sweat started to pour down his face.

"Then add more power." Itachi said as he pushed more chakra into the scroll. Anxious to get Sakura out of the demon's hands, for good.

"The scroll is covered in light blue Chakra! Hurry!" Gai said as he and Asuma watched the scroll cover itself in a light blue haze. They were not sure what that meant.

The Hokage watched in horror as everything unfolded. Iruka was holding back the two boys for they wanted to jump on Sakura in hoping to wake her up.

'_Come on Sakura. You can do it. I know you can.' _The Hokage thought as he stood there waiting for something to happen.

Soon the scroll stopped glowing a light blue and Kakashi and Itachi stopped pouring their chakra into it. Gai and Asuma cautiously leaned closer to the scroll on the table. Kakashi and Itachi on the other hand closed up their Shuringan and stood there waiting for something horrible to happen.

Anko and Kurenai smiled as Sakura's state started to go back to normal. Her skin returned back to a normal pale and her body stopped shaking. Kurenai sighed with relief that Sakura was back to normal and Iruka let go of Sasuke and Naruto.

Sasuke and Naruto didn't take their eyes off of Sakura and everyone else went over to the scroll, wondering what they had to do now.

"Now what?" Anko said.

The Hokage looked to see everyone looking at him waiting for an answer. He sighed and shook his head. "I guess we wait for her to wake up. But there is no telling how much strain the Demon put on…." The Hokage was interrupted by a gasp from the far side of the room.

Naruto and Sasuke gasped so loud it was hard to ignore it. Everyone turned around to see why they were gasping so loud and to everyone's surprise they could see Sakura starting to return to consciousness.

Itachi and everyone ran as fast as they could and circled around the two little boys and the couch. Itachi watched with semi emotion-filled eyes, Kakashi watched with curiosity, Anko was cheering for Sakura to wake up, Kurenai stood in the back ground waiting for Sakura to wake, The Hokage had a smile on his face, Iruka gasped, Asuma raised a single brow, and Gai was waiting to jump all over "his" flower.

Naruto and Sasuke got closer to her with their eyes wide opened. They were waiting to scream her name as loud as they could.

Meanwhile while this was all going on, Sakura was trying to wake up from her headache filled encounter with Anri.

'_Anri was her name right? Maybe I should research her so I can understand her character a little bit more.'_

'_**Yeah true. We were SO close in finding out why we were here to!'**_

'_Wait a minute, who was the one that butt in! I am going to kick their ass!'_

'_**Sakura, wait a minute! They were trying to save us they had no idea what was really going on.'**_

Sakura was lost for words but didn't swallow her anger, right now she needed to extinguish the anger before she did something regretful.

Taking a quick sigh Sakura started to bring herself back to reality. There was no telling what happened on the other side.

Naruto's and Sasuke's eyes went wide when they saw Sakura trying to open her eyes. At first they were little slits but they soon became open all the way.

"Nee-Chan!" The two of them yelled at the top of their lungs. Everyone else smiled at the sight, except Itachi, he smirked.

Sakura didn't know what hit her. First she was looking at the Uchiha's living room ceiling and then next she was greeted by a blue and yellow blur.

'_It's Sasuke and Naruto.'_

"Your awake!"

"Yeahh!"

Sakura couldn't help but smile and she started to lift herself into a sitting position. As she blinked a few times and looked down she saw Naruto and Sasuke burring their face in her chest. She couldn't help but laugh.

"Great to see you up and active Pinky." Kakashi said with a crease of the eyes.

Sakura's face turned from a smile to a frown she glared at Kakashi and stuck out her tongue.

"I see you missed me that much Kakashi." Sakura then looked around to see almost everyone she knew, she was a little puzzled by this.

"Why are all of you here?" She said tilting her head.

Anko couldn't help but smirk her way. "Uchiha over here called all of us, well except Iruka and Hokage-Sama over here, to help him get you back to normal."

Sakura couldn't hold down her blush that creped to her face. She turned to look straight at Itachi to see him just staring at her.

'_**How cute. He cares about you.'**_

'_No I don't think he does. He was just doing it because of Sasuke.'_

Sakura didn't have the brains to think that he actually did care for her safely, maybe he was even scared he would lose her.

'_She's blushing….. cute……Wait am I…..falling for her?? No way. Impossible.' _Itachi shook his head to get ride of the thoughts that entered his head.

The Hokage smiled at everyone, but soon it turned into a frown. "Ok Jonin, now that Sakura is fine get back to work. Kakashi, Itachi, and Sakura I need to see you two in my office. Pronto. You can give Sasuke to Iruka." Everyone nodded their heads and were getting ready to say good bye.

"Come on Naruto and Sasuke. Time to get to class." Iruka said as he motioned for Naruto and Sasuke to come over to him.

"Aw man." Sasuke said with a pout and he jumped off of Sakura and made his way to Iruka. Naruto was a little reluctant.

"It's great your back to normal Nee-Chan!" Naruto said.

Sakura smiled at him and waved to him. "Thank you Naruto." Everyone watched as Sasuke and Naruto went with Iruka out of the house.

Sartobi then turned to everyone and cleared his throat. "Don't you all have some place to be?" He said before he poofed off as well.

Sakura giggled at everyone and waved them good bye before they all poofed off before the Hokage would yell at them. He wasn't a big fan at yelling but when he did, it was no laughing matter.

After everyone left Itachi turned to Sakura and walked to help her up from the couch. Sakura watched as he held out his hand as an act of politeness and she gladly took it.

But when she took his hand, she didn't expect to feel butterflies fluttering in her stomach when she took his hand. His hand was so soft and warm. She didn't expect for his hand to be that soft. The strange part was that she didn't want to let go of it.

As Itachi helped her up he too felt strange feelings. He felt light headed and he had some urge to want to touch more of her heavenly skin. It was as soft as he thought it would be, but he didn't picture it feel this heavenly against his skin. He noticed that her hand was about a size or two smaller compared to his, which made him want to hold on to it to keep it away from any danger.

The both of them stood there caught up in their own realizations for a good two or three minutes. Sakura's thoughts were interrupted when Itachi moved his hand away. She almost whimpered at the lost of warmth but caught herself just in time. Nothing would be more embarrassing than whimpering in front of him.

"What happened in that scroll Sakura?" Itachi asked.

Sakura stared deep into his black eyes and started to contemplate on what to tell him and what not to tell him.

'_How much does he know? How much did the Hokage tell him?'_

Itachi saw her struggling on what to tell him and what not to tell him.

'_What happened to her that she will not tell me?'_

Itachi narrowed his eyes at this and he walked closer to her, closing their distance.

"Tell me Sakura. Tell me everything." He demanded. He didn't like his friend to keep certain things away from him.

Sakura smiled up at him nervously and shook her head. "Don't worry about it Itachi. It is nothing big."

Itachi growled at her and his glared intensified. Sakura just stared at him with wide eyes.

'_Is it me or is he a little affectionate today?'_

'_**Who knows.'**_

"If you mean as you cringing in pain and then having your chakra surge throughout your body, and then your little protection seal on your ankle activating on that demon as nothing big I find that hard to believe."

Sakura's mouth dropped wide open. But she then smiled a sweet smile at him.

"Well you seem to know most of it. So there isn't anything I need to explain."

"Why was your chakra surging through you? Why were you cringing in pain?" He asked his questions with authority and it really shocked Sakura to no end.

'_Why does he care so much?'_

'_**Well you're his friend so……'**_

'_But Itachi isn't the type to ask questions. He normally keeps the questions to himself so he can figure them out himself.'_

'_**Maybe he is baffled by this one?'**_

'_Maybe.'_

"The reason why I was cringing was because she attacked me because I insulted her. I didn't know who she was at first that's why my chakra was surging like crazy. I was going to attack her. My seal went off because I didn't trust her. See? Nothing to worry about."

Itachi was going to press the matter but he decided against it. They needed to go the Hokage's office before they got in trouble.

"Let's get ready and go to the Hokage Tower."

Sakura nodded her head and the both of them took the fastest shower and quickest time to change into an outfit. Once they were done they ran out Itachi's bedroom window at flying speed. Within twenty minutes from when Sartobi left the house, Sakura, Itachi, and Kakashi were waiting outside the office.

When Itachi and Sakura meet up with Kakashi, he also asked the same questions as Itachi. Sakura had to surpass the temptation to punch at the wall, but she told him the same thing she told Itachi and he seemed pretty satisfied with her answer.

Now here they were, waiting for the Hokage to call them in. within a few more minutes Sartobi popped his head out of his office and called the trio inside.

"Sit down you three, sit down."

The three did as they were told and waited for the Hokage to continue talking. As he rounded his desk the three teens sat in their chairs wondering what exactly the Hokage wanted to talk to them about.

"Itachi. Your father told me you would be entering the ANBU exam without hesitation." Sartobi said as he then turned his attention to Kakashi. "And you Kakashi said that you would enter the exam as well." Kakashi nodded his head in agreement.

Sakura stared wide eyed at the Hokage in front of her. She new where this was going.

'_He wants me to join the Exam too. Am I even ready for it? The last time I took a exam it was for Chunnin.'_

Sakura jinxed herself because Sartobi looked straight at her with a smile.

"Sakura. I know you just came back from the long mission I gave you, but I think it is about time you take a exam. Considering you haven't taken one since you turned Chunnin, which was a while ago."

Sakura gulped and looked at the Hokage. Scared of what he was about to say, for she knew what he was going to say to her. The problem was, was that she had no idea for an answer.

"Would you like to join the ANBU Exam?" He asked as he raised a brow giving her the signal to speak what was on her mind.

Sakura looked up and took a deep sigh.

'_What do I say?!'_

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TO

BE

CONTINUED!!!

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**Author's Note: Well there u have it! Some ItaXSaku fluff and some hints to how Itachi is likin miss Sakura over here.**

**What will her answer be?**

**I wonder??? **

**HOPE YOU ALL LIKED IT!!!**

**REVIEW PLEASE!!!!**


	9. Chapter 9

_**Author's Notes: **_ Ok……so I got a lot and I mean a lot of reviews! ITS MAKES ME SOOO HAPPY!! THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE!! And thank you for the suggestions and criticism. You know who you are. Those suggestions did help and don't worry I'm not offended. :) Now lets hope that this chapter can be action packed!

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Sarutobi watched Sakura's face flash with uneasiness and confusion. He couldn't help but smile at her behavior.

'_She must be contemplating on if she should enter it or not. Maybe I rushed her into it too soon.'_

Sakura was getting a really big headache from thinking so hard about this one subject. Thank god for Sakura though, because Sarutobi cleared his throat as a indication that he was about to speak.

"Actually Sakura. You just got back from that mission and now I'm asking you to move to ANBU. I should give you about a week or two off before you can do anything."

Looked up at the Third Hokage Sakura flashed him a happy and thankful smile. "Thank you so much Hokage-Sama!" She couldn't express the amount of relief she felt when he said that.

"Is that all you wanted us in here for Hokage-Sama?" Kakashi asked him. Changing the subject.

The Third turned to Kakashi and smiled. "For now, yes that is all. Kakashi and Itachi……..be at the southern gates in two days from now at six in the morning for your ANBU test."

With a nod, the three teenagers got up and bowed down to their leader. Once they were done, Itachi and Sakura went one way while Kakashi went off to go knows where.

-------------Three weeks later---------------

It has been three weeks since Sakura had that encounter with the demon locked in the scroll. And since then things in Kohana have been heating up and not just the battles between Mist and Kohana either. For the past two weeks Itachi and Sakura became very close friends. Sakura also became close friends with Asuma, Anko, Gai, and Kurenai. Kakashi still calls her Pinky, but she has gotten use to it. Gai still is in love with her, even though they have a three year difference. Anko and Kurenai became her best girl friends.

Now here Sakura was, walking through the Uchiha Master Garden. Even for the almost month she has been here, she never could understand how they made something so beautiful. And made it stay that way.

"Now how come life can't be like that?" She asked herself as she began to lower herself into a sitting position and took her ninja sandals off. She slowly dipped her petite feet in the pond that had the beautiful flowers around it.

"Be like what?" Said a soft voice behind Sakura.

She couldn't help but jump in surprise. She turned around and glared at Itachi.

"Don't ever do that again! You could of killed me!" She said with a hand over her heart.

She watched as he smirked her way and sat next to her. "Damn. I should of tried harder then huh?"

Sakura couldn't believe her ears. **THE** Itachi Uchiha just made fun of her!

"Excuse me?!" She shouted at him. Itachi couldn't help but smirk at her even more.

Over their time spent with each other, Itachi was able to socialize more around Sakura. And Sakura had no clue why h would only socialize with her. But truth be told, she didn't really think about it that much.

Itachi watched as she lightly punched him on the shoulder, as a scolding act.

"You know……it's not very nice to say that." She said with a pout.

Itachi just shook his head at her childish behavior. He raised his index and thumb finger to her forehead and flicked it.

"Will you ever grow up." He said as he flicked it, a habit he had grown to enjoy doing to her.

Sakura stuck her tongue out at him and giggled. "Why would I do that? It would ruin all the fun out of life!"

Soon their chatting died down and they just studied the pond as it glistened under the sun's rays. Sakura couldn't help but look over to her side at Itachi.

'_It's amazing how much he has changed in almost a month. Don't you think?'_

'_**Sakura……be careful. Remember we can't change any history events. Who knows what would happen if we did.'**_

'_Your saying I can't befriend him?'_

'_**Did you just register him as a friend……!'**_

Sakura realized what she said and she couldn't help but make a low growl in the back of her throat. Itachi turned to look at her but he knew she wouldn't notice.

'_So what if I did?'_

'_**Sakura, watch who you become friends with.'**_

'_Oh come on! It's not like I'm in love with him or something!'_

'_**You mean its not like you're in love with him **__**yet**__**.'**_

Sakura couldn't take much more of her inner self's assumptions. She shook her head to clear her mind and turned to see Itachi looking straight at her.

"Don't you have a mission or something……" Sakura grunted at him. Still a little mad at her inner self.

"How did you…..?" He was a little creped out that she knew he had a mission today. Sakura on the other hand laughed at his expression.

"I have my ways Itachi." She said with a wink.

Itachi had to resist rolling his eyes at his best friend. "I leave tomorrow morning."

Sakura was a little stunned at first. She didn't expect him to tell her. But lately he has been surprising her a lot.

"Oh? For how long?" she asked curiously.

Itachi couldn't ignore the fact that his stomach was feeling light and jumpy. The way she was acting around him lately……it was different from what she would normally act around other guys his age.

Sakura noticed the way he drifted off into his own little world, just like she just did moments ago. She scooted closer to him, trying to get a good look at his face. Sticking her head in his face she called his name.

"Itachi?" When she saw him make no movement she said it again. But this time a little louder. "Itachi?"

Itachi shook his head, trying to get ride of his thoughts, thanks to Itachi over shaking his head and Sakura leaning closer to him, hoping to see if he would come out of his thoughts, their lips collided.

The both of them didn't know what hit them. Itachi's eyes were closed and when he felt the warmth of something against him, he couldn't help but want to explore that feeling.

On the other end, however, Sakura's eyes were wide open and she saw the whole thing happen. The strange part was, was that her body didn't want to move as she watched it unfold. She watched as his black spiky hair tossed from side to side and the way his face was coming closer to hers.

'_I know I shouldn't be doing this……but…….'_

For once in Sakura's life, she did what she wanted to do. She didn't listen to what her inner was screaming, she didn't think about what Tsunade's letter said or how she couldn't change the past. Right now she was thinking about the present.

Itachi thought she would of broke them apart by now, he was happy she didn't and he let it go a little further. He took his arms and wrapped them around her waist. Sakura, for once, didn't think and just acted. Her small hands traveled up to his neck and they hung there.

It wasn't long after that when they broke apart. When they broke apart, the two of them looked into each other's eyes. Sakura didn't dare say anything. All she could do was touch her lips with her fingers. Astounded at what just happened. The male across from her, had his Uchiha pride smirk plastered on his face.

'_I think I did pretty damn good, if I do say so myself.' _He said to himself.

"I wouldn't let myself get a big head over it Itachi." Sakura said, smiling his way, as she grabbed her shoes and started to walk into the house.

He watched as she walked into the Mansion. He wasn't going to lie to himself and say that he didn't want to kiss her. Deep down he knew he did. He just never acted on it.

'_Well I better get ready for this mission into Mist. The Hokage wants us to get some information on them. If you ask me, it's going to be easy as pie.'_

With one slight movement, Itachi was up and he made his way into the Mansion.

------The Next Day-----

It was four in the morning. Everyone is asleep in their nice homes, having dreams of god only knows. But one person was up, getting ready for his mission.

Itachi grabbed his traveling bag and zipped up his ANBU suit. He placed his mask around his neck and walked down the hallway. On his way to the big window that he would always jump out of, he passed Sakura's room.

As he passed her room, he couldn't help but think back to their little incident that happened yesterday. He made a sly smirk as he stared at her door.

'_See you later tonight Sakura.'_

And with that Itachi disappeared out the window. As he ran towards the western gates of Kohana he couldn't help but get this strange feeling.

'_No, I'm sure everything will be fine. I'll just keep a close eye on everything.'_

Seems that Itachi was getting a strange feeling also. And just like Sakura, he brushed it off as well.

Later that day, the sun shown high above the proud city of Kohana. You could see everyone's smiling faces as the day went on. Sakura was around the village talking to the citizens. But soon she was called into the hospital for her medic class. She was too young to work in the hospital so they made her take additional classes.

Sakura stayed in the hospital for almost the whole day, she didn't think her classes would be that long. Before she knew it, the clock read seven o clock.

"Crap!" She shouted. She had to pick up Sasuke in five minutes! She punched out her card, hung up her coat, and ran like the wind to the Ninja Academy.

When Sakura got there she saw that Sasuke was the last person there, even Naruto went home.

"I'm so sorry Iruka! I didn't notice the time in the hospital and I….."

Iruka smiled warmly at her and shook his head. "Don't worry about it Sakura. You're here and that's all that matters. Sasuke was a good boy while he waited."

Sakura smiled up at him gratefully and nodded her head. "Thank you! Come on Sasuke. Time to go."

Sasuke lunged at her and hugged her to death. He showed her his A on his test and he started to beam towards her. Sakura grabbed his free hand and was just as happy as him.

As the two of them got closer to the Mansion, Sakura couldn't surpass the same gut feeling she got last night.

'_I'm sure it's nothing.'_

As Sakura and Sasuke neared the Gates they saw the Uchiha police squad around the gates. The head chief made his way towards them and Sakura could tell something wasn't right.

"I'm sorry but you can't go in there." He said in a stern voice.

"I live here! I can too enter!" Sasuke yelled at him.

"No, it isn't safe." He said. Holding Sasuke back from entering the Gates.

Sakura grabbed Sasuke's hand and narrowed her eyes at the scene. "Why can't we go in? What happened?"

The Chief looked at the thirteen year old with question. "Some group of ninja attacked the district. Fugaku-Sama called us, but when we got there…."

Sakura didn't need the Chief to finish his sentence for she knew what went on. "Sasuke. Come on."

Sakura ignored as the chief yelled at them for not entering the scene. Brushing off the guard, Sakura lifted Sasuke on her back and she high jumped over the closed fence. Once they landed on the other side Sakura could tell she got there just in time.

"Sasuke. Listen to me. I want you to stay as close to me as you can. Don't let go. What ever you do, stay right next to me."

Sakura looked at Sasuke sternly and Sasuke didn't question her. Granted he never saw this side of his "Nee-Chan" before.

Once she could feel Sasuke grasp her hand a lot tighter, she started to bolt towards where the head house was. As she ran though the place she saw some of the houses had broken windows. She and Sasuke almost fell from the amount of debris on the ground.

As Sakura and Sasuke continued to run to the house the destruction got worse and worse. When they got there she heard a battle going on in the back of the house. Narrowing her eyes she spread out her chakra to see that Fugaku was fighting against one mist ninja. Mikoto was on the side lines.

'_Ok Sakura, get your ass over there!'_

Sakura grasped Sasuke's hand tighter and she ran full out towards the back of the house. Within minutes Sakura was beside Mikoto.

"Mikoto." Sakura said in a soft tone.

Sakura watched as the woman jumped and turned around with a sharp piece of glass in her hand. When she saw it wasn't an enemy she dropped the glass and smiled.

"Thank god you're here. They just all of a sudden came and attacked us. Saying something about someone killing their team or something."

Sakura held in the gasp that crawled up her throat when Mikoto told her why they were here. The Mist ninjas were searching for her.

'_This is my entire fault. If I didn't live with the Uchiha's no one would be hurt. Time to fight back! No one is getting hurt again!'_

Mikoto saw her son behind Sakura and was about to cry. "Thank god he is safe! I thought they got to him too!"

Sakura let go of Sasuke's hand and watched as he hugged his mother tightly. Sakura looked over Mikoto's body trying to figure out why she was on the side lines. Then it hit her. Fugaku and her were fighting until she was stuck paralyzed but the Mist Ninja.

"I'll heal you Mikoto. All I have to do….." Mikoto shook her head and pointed towards her husband.

"No, I'm fine. The paralysis jutsu wore off, I'm just going through after effects. Right now Fugaku needs help."

Sakura nodded her head and was about to run to help him, but she heard a ear piercing scream. The three of them turned their heads towards the direction of the sound.

Sasuke was about to run to his father but Mikoto held him back. Sakura watched as Mikoto was crying at the scene. She must of thought that she was going to lose her husband.

'_Not if I have anything to say about it!'_

Not being able to stay on the sidelines anymore, Sakura grabbed anything sharp she could find and stashed it in her cloths.

As Sakura ran towards Fugaku she could see that he knocked out the Ninja. Approaching Fugaku she examined his injuries.

Her stern emerald eyes scanned the older man's body. As she examined him she couldn't believe how much damage his body took. And yet he was still able to fight the ninja.

Narrowing her eyes at him, she got down on her knees and formed a few quick seals. Soon the green chakra started to flow from her hands. First she summoned chakra to enter the opened wound at his shoulder.

While she worked on Fugaku's injuries, Fugaku was coming back to consciousness. As Sakura moved away from the now healed shoulder and started to work on his fractured ribs, she could hear him make noises.

As Fugaku opened his eyes he saw a blur of pink in his face. He grunted in response and soon he saw the pink haired girl that had been living in his home for the past month.

"Go. I don't need your help." He said reluctantly.

Sakura glared down at him. Fugaku was surprised that she had the audacity to glare at him.

"No. You have serious injuries all over you. You **need** my help. Wither you like it or not."

And with that Sakura continued to set the ribs back into place. While she continued to heal him, Fugaku looked around to see Mikoto and Sasuke on the sidelines. He felt better now that he knew his wife and son were untouched by the enemies.

"Ok Uchiha-San. Just a few more wounds I need to fix and then your back in order."

Fugaku was surprised that the girl could heal him this well. He could feel his life returning back to him. Even though he wasn't a medic, he knew he was is terrible shape. When he knocked out that ninja, he knew that if help didn't come soon he wouldn't have lived.

'_She saved my life.'_

Sakura's hands were moving at the speed of light. She was working so fast. Trying to stop the overflow of blood and trying to fix the delicate organs that got damaged during the fight. It was **not **an easy fix.

But she was to preoccupied with healing that she didn't pay attention to her surroundings. The ninja got up and he grabbed his sword, glaring hard at the Uchiha male. When he looked over though, he saw the person that he and his team were looking for.

'_Now's my chance!'_

Not holding back at all, he charged at Sakura. Fugaku heard something move from the distance and looked to see the ninja he preciously knocked down charging at them.

Fugaku was about to say something to warn the girl that was healing him, but he was too slow. Before anyone knew it Sakura was pierced by the ninja's sword right in the stomach.

Mikoto, Sasuke, and Fugaku watched with widened eyes, as the sword popped out the other end of Sakura's stomach. Sakura looked to her left to see Sasuke wanting to run to her, tears streaming down his face. For his sake she didn't scream. No matter how much it hurt.

She then made eye contact with Fugaku. "Run. Get as far away as possible from here!"

Fugaku was stunned by her determination to not scream. As he looked up at her, a few drops of her blood dripped down from her injury and landed on his face.

Fugaku took a few seconds to watch the dripping blood start to slowly fall down the rest of his face.

"Go! Now!" Sakura shouted at him as she grabbed the other end of the sword and pushed it further into her. Making the sword more visible to everyone.

Fugaku watched wordlessly as Sakura pulled the sword going further in her.

"Now I got you!" Shouted the Mist ninja.

Sakura smirked at the man. But he didn't see it. Fugaku saw it though and he watched with wide eyes. She took the sword's blade, grasped it tighter with her hands. Pouring more blood out of her, and she used all her might to thrust it back out of her. With the great physical power she possessed, the sword was able to exit her stomach and hit the Mist Ninja hard.

Once Sakura heard a "Ugh!" from the Ninja she turned her attention to Fugaku. But she saw Sasuke and Mikoto right next to him.

"You three need to leave now! Get as far away from here as you can!" She yelled at them.

"But Nee-Chan!" Sasuke shouted at her. He never saw so much blood pour out of someone before.

Fugaku grabbed his son's hand and shook his head. "Come on Sasuke. We will go to the Hokage and tell him to bring back up for Sakura."

Sakura's eyes went wide. Never before did he address her by her name. Normally he never even paid attention to her. But Sakura couldn't absorb this moment for long, for the ninja was getting up.

"Go! Now!" she shouted again.

The three of them ran away, just like she wished. Sasuke looked back with tears streaming down his eyes. Mikoto also looked back and she too had tears falling from her pale face.

'_Sakura please come back in one piece. I don't know what I would do if I would be the only woman in the house again.'_

Fugaku didn't look back, he kept running. But even though he didn't look back that didn't mean he stopped thinking about what just happened.

'_She saved me. Even though for the whole time she was here I didn't even treat her with respect. She healed me. Sakura, beat them. So we can start over.'_

Sakura heard their footsteps run farther and farther away from them. While they ran away she distracted the Ninja with the pieces of glass she found on the ground.

She took out the pieces she had and used them as kunai's. While the Ninja was dodging them, she took the milliseconds she had in-between the throws and dodges, to heal her stomach wound. Just enough to have it stop bleeding.

"Why did you attack them! They didn't do anything to you!" She yelled at the ninja.

She watched his movements as he grabbed his sword again and ran at her.

"We knew you would pop out once we attacked the people who were close to you! You killed our best ninjas and now it's your turn to die!"

The ninja waved his sword around like a propeller and soon Sakura saw his hand seals. Before she knew what hit her, he flung her backwards into a bunch of trees. She didn't have time to recover, for she fell into the pond.

'_I need to get this battle over with. He shouldn't have much left in him considering Fugaku fought him earlier.'_

As Sakura fell down to the bottom of the pond, she opened her eyes and watched as the pond turned red, from her now reopened wounds. Not wasting any time, Sakura stood up on the bottom and jumped out of the water.

The ninja watched tiredly as she jetted out of the water. Sakura took his delayed reaction as a time to throw a sleeping shot at him. The ninja watched with wide eyes as her dead accurate throw hit him right in the neck.

"You aren't get….."

Sakura jumped towards the other side of the lake as she saw him fall down to the ground asleep. Not just letting him be asleep, she took his arm and twisted it around, causing it to break. As a precaution incase he woke up and came to attack her again.

'_Now when he wakes up he will not be able to come after me right away. He will be too occupied with his broken arm.'_

Catching her breath she ripped more clothing off her and tried to stop the bleeding. Not waiting any longer, Sakura ran into the damaged Mansion and looked for the First-Aid kit.

Once she found it, she dumped it out on the counter and started to address her wound. It took her a few times to get the massive bleeding to stop, but she soon was able to patch herself up.

'_Ugh. Why did it have to be the stomach? That's the hardest to patch up when your in a battle.'_

Now that she was all patched up, Sakura could sense five more Mist ninja's coming.

'_I don't have enough energy to kill all five of them! This injury is hindering my abilities! And healing Fugaku didn't help matters.'_

Looking around franticly, Sakura decided to suppress her chakra low enough so the Mist-Nin's couldn't find her right away.

But it didn't buy her enough time to get many weapons from the home. All she was able to do was grab the two swords that were on top of the fireplace mantle.

"There you are little murderer." Said one. As he eyed her up and down.

Sakura gracefully hid the swords behind her back. Hoping they didn't see she was armed.

The leader came up and stood in the middle of their group. "Who would of thought that a 13 year old would kill three of our guys…..unless you got help…." He said as he rubbed his chin in as thoughts crossed his mind.

Sakura watched as his evil smirk stretched up to his ears.

'_No! He and his people will not hurt anyone else! I will fight them all if I have to!'_

"No! I killed the three of them! No one helped me!" Sakura yelled out at them.

"Oh really? Well in that case……kill her." The leader said as the five of them came charging at her.

Sakura made an eep noise as she dodged each and every attack. Trying to get away from the 10 punches that came at her.

'_At this rate I will run out of energy!'_

Sakura watched each and every punch. Trying to find their pattern just like Tsunade taught her to do. The more and more Sakura watched the punches the more she could see that they would make combinations with each others moves.

'_This is going to be harder than I thought. Just Peachy.'_

Sakura let out a low growl as she strained her eyes to follow their lighting speed movement. Sakura couldn't take the exhausting movements any longer. So with a simple punch in the ground she made a crater big enough to cover their fighting place.

As Sakura jumped into the air and used chakra in her feet to run on the air, she could see their shocked faces at her strength. But she didn't let that distract her as she dropped to the ground and ran as fast as she could to the forest that was just outside the Main House.

'_I need to get them into the woods. Then I can release a technique I have dieing to test out. But I need to watch out for this fatal wound over here.'_

Sakura gripped her stomach and as her other hand swished in the wind she felt something in her pocket. Sticking her and in the pocket she saw that it was a needle.

The needle was a sample of a new medicine she was working on. She was trying to find a way where she could stop the flow of blood cells when a wound appears.

'_I may not have worked all the bugs out of it. Hell I don't even know if it is safe. But desperate times calls for desperate measures.'_

With that final thought, Sakura injected the needle in her wrist vein. She closed her eyes for a moment as if to concentrate and soon she stopped running.

Sakura watched as her stomach stopped bleeding excessively. Soon she felt the ninja's coming up fast.

'_Come on! Please work!'_

Sakura stood there as she watched the five Ninja's circle her in the woods.

"Should we continue?" Asked one.

"Did you see her punch?! It was inhuman!"

"She didn't use chakra at all either."

Sakura watched as disbelief crossed all their faces. They couldn't imagine someone with that much inhuman strength. Sakura felt immensely proud of herself. It wasn't everyday you had people praising you for your strength.

"Watch what else I can do." Sakura said to them with a look in her eye.

As Sakura formed a few hand seals, she could feel her body reacting to the medicine. But she also felt massive power flowing through her veins.

'_Time to kick some ass!'_

The five Mist-Ninja's didn't wait for her to react. So the leader motioned two of them to attack her.

Sakura stood there, waiting for them.

'_If I want to perform my new Jutsu I need to save all the chakra I have. That means I need to knock out these two guys.'_

As the Mist Ninja's got closer, their leader noticed something. He noticed that Sakura wasn't making any motion to attack them.

'_What is she planning.'_

The leader watched as his two ninja's came close to her, she punched one right in the stomach. He heard the cracking of bones from her hit. The other ninja jumped back in precaution.

Sakura watched as one of her opponents went flying down to the ground. He went flying down on the ground. Then the other ninja started to conjure up some jutsu. Now knowing not to engage in close combat with her. It could mean death.

Before Sakura knew it, the ground started to shake. Her eyes went wide and she watched as boulders popped out of the ground.

"Let's see how you handle this!" He shouted.

Soon the boulders came right for her. The ninja guided the rocks in all different directions. Making Sakura have to dodge each and every one of them.

Sakura could feel her power slipping away from her as she tried to dodge each boulder.

'_If I keep this up, I will be a sitting duck.'_

'_**Then why don't you crack the boulders at a certain angle, so you can hit him with his own weapon. It will knock him out and then you will only have to deal with three more!'**_

The Mist Ninja looked at Sakura to see a new fiery light in her green eyes. He raised a brow at this, but continued with his boulder crushing.

Smirking in her head, at her new plan, Sakura dodged a few more boulders, trying to see a pattern in the way he threw his boulders. After a few boulders, she found it and her plan went into action. But she would have to do it quick. For the medicine was wearing off.

Everyone on the side watched the mini battle unfold. The leader had his eyes narrowing at Sakura. She may be thirteen, but there was something about her that made her different. He watched as she jumped in a strange way and extended her fist.

'_She won't be able to crush the boulder in that direction. She would crack a few bones before she could actually hit a solid boulder.'_

To the leader's disbelieve, when Sakura extended her fists they saw the boulder shatter like broken glass. The Mist-Nin that was guiding the boulders watched with horror.

'_Oh shit!'_

Sakura then took her air time and took a few pieces of debris; throwing them right back at the lonely ninja. Thanks to her marvelous distraction, he didn't see the pieces of rock come flying at him with extreme speed. Before he knew it, he feel to the ground unconscious.

The Mist ninja's leader watched as the exhausted pink haired girl landed on her feet clumsily.

'_If it takes this much energy to knock down two of them. Who knows how powerful the others are.'_

'_**Yeah and those could be their trainees too. We don't know how much stronger the other's are!'**_

The Mist-Ninja could see that her energy was draining. He also noticed that her wound was starting to bleed again. When Sakura turned around to look at the remaining three people she followed his glaze down to her wound.

'_God damn it! I need more time!'_

'_**Look's like we don't have it. Use it now!'**_

"Who would guess a thirteen year old would possess so much power." The leader mumbled to himself.

Waving his hand in the air, the three of them got into position. "You are a big threat to our country. For that, we must eliminate you." He said in a empty, stone cold voice.

Sakura shook her head. "Who said I was done?" 

With that the leader couldn't help but raise a curious brow towards her. She was full of surprises. What more could she possibly do? She was straining herself to catch her breath and her wound wasn't going to stop bleeding.

"What can you possibly do?" He said.

"This is what I can do!" Sakura yelled and got into position. This would be her final attack!

-------------**With the Uchiha's**------------

After they ran a good distance away from where Sakura was, Fugaku could see the gates. As Fugaku came into view of the Police Squad, the ground started to shake.

Mikoto couldn't help but turn back around towards where Sakura was.

"Oh dear….." She was about to run to Sakura, but Fugaku gripped her shoulder.

"No. She told us to leave. We have to respect that."

"But what if she….."

Sasuke watched as his mother tried to bat away the on-coming tears that threatened to fall down her face. He couldn't help but look back as well.

'_Nee-Chan. Please……please be ok.'_

Fugaku watched as his youngest son and his wife were being torn apart as thoughts plagued their minds with images of what was going on.

'_Who would of thought she placed that much of a impression on my family.'_

He soon shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. They didn't have much time, for who knew how long Sakura could stand against who ever was over there with that severe wound.

"Come on. We need to get the Hokage." Fugaku said as he grabbed Mikoto's arm and placed Sasuke on the other side of him.

The Chief of Police was about to come up to them but Fugaku ran right past him. The Chief was about to question him, but he saw the stern look in Fugaku's eyes and knew it would be a bad idea to ask.

------In the Hokage's Office------

Sarutobi was sitting at his desk, gathering up late night paper work. As he was getting organized, a few Jonin that were patrolling the borders, walked in. They said they sensed a disturbance in the Uchiha district. But he told them not to do anything about it since it was the Uchiha's district.

'_They are probably working on some Jutsu.'_

Shaking his head as an act to concentrate on the task at hand, he heard someone knocking on his door.

"Come in." he said with a sigh.

Once Fugaku heard that, he slammed into the office. He watched as Sarutobi's eyes went wide.

"Uchiha-San. What happened to you?" The Third asked in almost disbelief.

Sasuke tugged on his mother's leg. Mikoto looked down to see Sasuke about to cry. Giving him a sympathetic look, she took him into her arms and cradled him.

The Third wondered what could be happening that caused the Uchiha's to become so upset.

"Fugaku. What is going on." The Third said in a demanding voice. Most of the time he tried to avoid that side of Hokage, but seeing Fugaku this beat up was unbelievable.

"Hokage….."

Fugaku didn't get to finish for two ANBU came poofing into his office. Fugaku watched as the two people covered in a black suit bowed deeply towards The Third.

The Hokage nodded his head towards them. The two men took of their masks and turned around. Fugaku watched as his son and Kakashi saw them.

Saying that Itachi was surprised would be a lie. He was shocked beyond belief. He glanced at Kakashi and he seemed just as shocked.

"Father." He bowed deeply towards him. "What are you doing here?"

Itachi looked around to see his mother sitting down in the chair with his little brother. His mother had a few scratches here and there, but Sasuke had no wounds on him. Itachi then turned his full attention to his father.

Kakashi, too, looked Fugaku up and down. Out of everything he has heard of Fugaku Uchiha, he never had seen him this beaten up before. Something must of happened.

'_Where is Pinky?'_

Looking at his father, Itachi saw that his father was a mess. His Uchiha uniform was ripped to shreds, he had dry blood everywhere. As he looked around, he too, noticed that Sakura wasn't here.

"Where is Sakura." He stated. Glaring around the room.

Mikoto avoided eye contact with everyone, Sasuke buried his face deeper into his mother's hold, and Fugaku stared up at the three of them with empty eyes.

"That's why we are here Hokage."

Sarutobi narrowed his eyes towards the Uchiha. "What are you talking about?" He asked.

Itachi noticed that his tone set off that same gut feeling he felt when he left on his reconnaissance mission.

Kakashi watched as his partner started to tense up. He couldn't help but smirk at him.

'_Even though it has only been a month, Itachi has grown attached to Pinky.'_

"Go on Fugaku-San." Sarutobi stated.

Before Fugaku could continue every single person felt a huge powerful wave of Chakra surge out of no where.

Fugaku stared at Mikoto and she then stared out the window. She had no idea what was going on but she had a pretty good idea where it was coming from.

Itachi stared at Kakashi and the both of them couldn't believe how powerful it was. The strange part was that it came from the other side of town. What would be going on at this time of night?

The Third had a semi-idea of what was going on.

'_That amount of Chakra is used for only one thing……don't tell me…..'_

"Uchiha-San. Finish what you were going to say. Where is Sakura." The Third said in a hurried tone.

Fugaku snapped out of his staring and returned his attention to the room.

"Sakura……she……saved my life."

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TO

BE

CONTINUED!

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_**Author's note:**_** Again I hope you all liked it! **_**FYI: the whole needle thing it sorta restored Sakura's energy and it is helping her, for now.**_** Yeah I know the fighting scene really sucked! I really don't know what happened to me in the fighting scene. Like I couldn't do much considering I made her use most of her energy healing Fugaku. And I knew some of u would be like "she has too much chakra". But like, I don't know. I struggled with that scene. But I hope u all liked it!**

**Review please! **


	10. Chapter 10

_**Author's Notes: **_ Hellooooo to all my faithful reviewers! I never had this much popularity with any of my stories before! And for that I am in your debt! Without you I would never post chapters. So thank you all so much!

'_Thoughts' _

'_**Inner Sakura'**_

"Talking"

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Fugaku snapped out of his staring and returned his attention to the room.

"Sakura……she……saved my life."

Everyone in the room looked at Fugaku with a confused expression.

"What do you mean Fugaku?" The Third said getting up out of his chair, his curiosity growing with each second.

"The Uchiha District was attacked by a bunch of Mist Ninjas. Thankfully we got everyone out safely. Mikoto and I choose to stay behind to fight them off."

Mikoto got up from the couch, placed Sasuke on the floor and she continued the story.

"We managed to destroy a good number of them, but there was this one Mist-Nin that was a little tricky to catch. I was hit with some paralysis jutsu and that left Fugaku all alone to battle him."

Sasuke looked at everyone to see them listening intently at the story his mother and father were saying. But they didn't know what his side of the story was!

"When Nee-Chan came to pick me up we walked back home. But the stupid police man wouldn't let us go in! But Nee-Chan and I went in anyways."

The Third smiled at Sasuke but then his expression changed back into a straight face. He nodded his head towards Fugaku for him to continue. Or for any one of them to continue the story.

"While I was on the side lines watching the battle, Sakura and Sasuke came just in time. Fugaku was lying on the ground injured, after knocking out that pesky ninja, and that's when Sakura ran over to Fugaku and healed him."

Mikoto stopped her story to make sure everyone followed her. Itachi looked at his dad with hidden disbelief. Since when did his father let Sakura heal him, let alone touch him?

'_What happened that made my father let Sakura heal him?'_

Mikoto could see the worried look her oldest son was hiding on his face.

'_How cute. He cares for her so much. Come on Sakura hang in there!'_

"Continue on." Sarutobi said.

Fugaku finished up the story. "While Sakura healed me, the Mist Ninja attacked her. She advised us to get Sasuke to safety. And here we are now."

Fugaku choose his words very carefully. He didn't want the Hokage to think that he was a coward and would run away in the heat of battle.

"So where is Pinky now?" Kakashi asked looking out the window. They haven't felt a surge of power in a long time.

"Probably still back at the house. Battling god only knows how many Mist Ninjas." Mikoto said on the verge of shedding tears.

"Let's get a move on then." Itachi said impatiently. Hoping to get to Sakura before it was too late.

"Wait Itachi. It isn't that easy." The Third said.

Itachi reframed from glaring at his leader. Wasn't he paying attention to what his parents said?! Sakura was in trouble and she needed their help!

Kakashi watched Itachi clench his fists instead of glaring at The Hokage.

'_Calm down Itachi. We will get to her in time.'_

"Why can't we help her?" Itachi grunted out in as little as anger as possible.

The Hokage turned his back to everyone and looked out the window. Even though he couldn't see anything thanks to the pitch black sky that covered Kohana.

"We have no information on how many she is fighting; we have no signal for help. You know that it is dangerous to run into battle when help isn't asked. You could endanger the Ninja and or ruin any plans Sakura may have." Sarutobi said to Itachi.

"Hn." Was all he said.

"Then what can we do?!" Sasuke said to the Hokage as he looked up at the elderly man.

"All we can do is wait until she sends help or we feel another surge of power coming from that general direction."

Itachi couldn't take it anymore. He walked out of the Hokage's office and slammed the door. Everyone turned their attention to the door and Kakashi walked out as well. Making sure his partner wouldn't try anything stupid.

"Itachi." Kakashi said as he closed the Hokage's door behind him. Gently.

Itachi was leaning up against the opposite wall, narrowing his eyes at the door Kakashi just came out of.

"You and I both want to help Pinky but you and I both know what would happen if we charge into her battle without any knowledge what so ever."

Kakashi could tell that Itachi didn't like what he said. For his fists were clenched even tighter and his eyes were Sharingan.

"Hn." Was all Itachi managed to say as he tried to keep his emotions in check. Failing miserably.

Kakashi shook his head and leaned up against the wall with his partner.

"You really care for her don't you?" Kakashi said/asked.

Itachi, now emotionless, glanced at Kakashi. "……."

Kakashi just shook his head. "If you don't see it, then it isn't worth explaining. Just…..keep this in mind Itachi. Tell her before it's too late."

Itachi stared blankly at Kakashi and watched as the older man walked back into the Hokage's office.

'_What does he mean……he doesn't possibly think I like Sakura…..does he? That's crazy. She is my best friend. I can't fall in love with my one and only best friend.'_

Itachi stood out against the wall for quite some time, just thinking about what Kakashi said. When he got to the point of getting tired of thinking about the topic, he walked back into the office. He stood in the corner, waiting to jump into action and save his best friend.

----------------**WITH SAKURA**--------------------

Sakura smirked at the three Mist Ninja's before her. They would have no idea what hit them once she released her new attack. The leader and his remaining two sidekicks laughed at her.

"You can barley breath! Let along make another jutsu!" Said one while he held his stomach in pain from laughing so hard.

Sakura's smirk faded away and watched as the three of them laughed uncontrollably at her little comment.

'_We will see who has the last laugh!'_

'_**Let's get 'em!'**_

With that Sakura closed her eyes and took a deep breath in and out. As she opened her eyes she quickly grabbed a scroll from her belt, which she always kept with her, and with a flick of her wrist she opened it.

As she opened it, the laughter died down, and the men watched as the scroll floated in the air. The full moon was shinning down on her and it light up the whole forest area they were in. Making everything much more clear. They watched as Sakura held her thumb up to her mouth and bit her thumb. Making a small stream of blood come out.

The leader's eyes went wide. He recognized what she was doing. _'There is no way a 13 year old can perform that jutsu! It takes time, precision, chakra control, and a lot of damn chakra to do it!'_

His two sidekicks saw the face of fear pass through their leaders face. They stared at the 13 year old and made a loud gulp. They knew they were in for a bumpy ride.

Sakura didn't pay any attention to them and ran her bleeding thumb along the scroll she unrolled. Once the blood hit the scroll, it started to glow all different colors. Wasting no time, Sakura formed some seals at lightning speed.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Sakura yelled as she applied more chakra to the scroll and slammed her hand and the scroll straight down on the ground.

The three Ninja's watched with frightened eyes as a poof of smoke cascaded around them. The leader squinted his eyes and ordered his team to stay on their toes. Sakura stood there waiting and hoping that her summoning worked.

'_Come on baby work! Please work!'_

Sakura and the Mist Ninja's watched at the smoke cleared. Sakura waited hoping that she summoned the right one. It is her first time after all. But her opponent doesn't need to know that.

"It's…..It's…..a giant….!" One stuttered out.

"Slug?!" The other one said as he shook with fear.

Sakura smiled at the sight before her. She did it! She successfully summoned Katsuyu!

'_**Yeah take that Ass holes!'**_

"You called Tsunade-Sama?" Kasuyu said in a pateint voice as she looked around for her Master.

As Kasuyu looked around she could see three Mist Ninja's shaking in fear before her.

Sakura took this time to present herself in front of the giant, yet very strong, slug.

"It wasn't Tsunade-Shinsui that called you. It was me." Sakura said as she bowed before her summoned creature.

Kasuyu looked down at her Master's apprentance. "She did tell me you were practicing on summoning me. But this soon? Impressive."

Sakura tried to bow even lower towards the slug, as thanks, but her wound prevented her from doing so. Kasuyu noticed this and her mood changed.

She turned her attention towards the Mist Ninja's and then back towards Sakura.

"Sakura-Sama. What is the reason you called me here?"

Sakura looked up at the slug and turned her attention to the still stunned Mist Ninjas.

"I don't want them to hurt anyone else. I could kill them myself…..but…."

Sakura couldn't finish her sentence for a wave of excusiating pain swept in her body. Kasuyu watched as her new Master shuttered in pain.

Kasuyu broke off a part of her little tail in the back to form another slug, but this time it was a lot smaller.

"Sakura-Sama, get on this slug, she will bring you to me." She watched as the tiny slug brought Sakura up to sit on her head.

Sakura tried to ignore the emense pain she was feeling, suprising to her, she was able to surpass it. Well just a little bit of it. Kasuyu felt Sakura stand up on the top of her head and she couldn't help but smile.

But unfortunatly for the three remaining Mist Ninja's, Kasuyu didn't forget about them. They shook even more when the giant slug turned her head and stared at them.

"How dare you hurt this child! For that you will be punished!" She said as she started to move towards them. The leader snapped out of his daze and the three of them oved out of the way.

---------**In the Hokage's office**---------

Everyone couldn't stand themselves. They were sitting there for the longest time. Not knowing what they could do. Sarutobi sent a few ANBU to potrol the Uchiha District and if any of them were to find something, they would report back immediately. But so far nothing has been reported.

"How much longer?!" Sasuke shouted. He could see the moon shinning brightly through the window.

Mikoto looked out the window and let silent tears of worry slide down her face.

'_What could be happeneing over there?'_

Kakashi was keeping a close eye on Itachi. Ever since he came back into the room he has been more quiet than usual.

'_Maybe he is trying to figure out what I ment when we had our talk.'_

And Kakashi was right. No matter how hard Itachi tried to get his mind off it, he couldn't. All he could think about was Sakura and what Kakashi said that he wouldn't explain.

The Third sat in his chair, quietly waiting to hear from any of the ANBU he sent out. Soon there was a knock at the door. The whole room when quiet. They all hoped it was Sakura.

"Come in." The Hokage said.

To everyone's dismay it was simply a ANBU reporting in. Sarutobi watched as everyone's expression seemed to become sour.

The ANBU bowed down and stood there waiting for the Hokage to speak.

"Report." Was all he said. Getting a bad feeling in his gut.

"I think it would be better if I showed you." Said the ANBU as he formed a few seals and soon everyone was in the Uchiha district.

"What is this?!!" Sasuke yelled amazed at what happened.

"It's a jutsu that allows you all to see what I saw when I went on my potrol. Nothing more, nothing less." Said the ANBU. Making Sasuke nodd his head.

They all watched intently as the scene started to move. Itachi couldn't believe how much damage was done in the district. Tension rose as the ANBU's mind made it's way to the Uchiha's Main House.

As the scene rounded the corner all they could see was Sakura very high up on something.

"What is she standing on?" Mikoto asked.

"Could it be….." Sarutobi said to himself.

Sasuke turned to the ANBU. "Did you get closer?"

The ANBU nodded his head. And without further adeu, they watched as the ANBU's mind zoomed closer towards the battlefield.

Mikoto gasped and barried her head into her husband's shoulder. Sasuke's mouth went wide opened, Kakashi was stunned, Fugaku and Itachi didn't protray anything, and Sarutobi blinked a few times thinking it wasn't real.

Right in front of them they could see three Mist Ninja's on the ground, knocked out cold. As they went deeper into the forest, they could see three more Ninja's shaking in fear at what was before them.

Everyone's attention truned in the direction they were looking in and their reactions stayed the same. There Sakura was, on top of a giant slug?

"Impossible…." Fugaku said as he looked up at the powerful slug.

'_So Tsunade has taught you the summoning technique. Most impressive.' _Sarutobi thought as he smiled up at the slug that couldn't see him.

"How could she…." Kakashi was speechless. He could summon animals too, but never before has he tried to summon the most powerful out of his group. He's never seen anything like this before.

Itachi looked at the slug with abosolute surprise in his eyes. As he looked up at Sakura, he strained his eyes hoping to see if she was alright. Unfortunatley for him, the ANBU didn't really pay much attention on her condition, so he couldn't see her. Even with his Sharingan.

Mikoto held onto Sasuke and the two of them looked up at the Slug. Mikoto was so proud that she could summon such a powerful tool. Sasuke was just staring at the slug with wide eyes.

"I wonder if Nee-Chan will let me ride it later!"

Sasuke's comment made everyone, well almost everyone, chuckle. The ANBU turned to everyone and canceled out the jutsu. With a wave of the Hokage's hand, the ANBU was out of the room.

"Now what?!" Sasuke shouted. Causing Mikoto to cover his mouth with her hand.

"We just wait untill something happenes." Was all The Third said as he looked out the window. Still amazed that she summoned the Queen Slug.

---------**With Sakura**-----------

As the three Mist Ninja's kept dodging Kasuyu's attacks, Sakura was getting use to being able to stay up on top of the Slug's head.

"Sakura-Sama."

Kasuyu's voice brought Sakura out of her thoughts. "Hai?"

"The only way for these three Mist Ninja's to go away, is if we use a little attack of ours."

Sakura's eyes went wide and her mouth dropped to the ground.

'_Do I have enough staminia to do it?' _

'_**Hell yeah!'**_

'_Tsunade only told me about them and I have only read them in the scrolls she gave me. But I never really tested them out.'_

'_**Let's give it a shot! The faster these Ninja's go the better off we will be!'**_

"Um…Kasuyu-San?"

"Sakura-Sama. Just call me Kasuyu." She said as she chuckled at how Sakura called her Kasuyu-San.

"Hai. But I have only read of the attacks from Tsunade-Shinsiu's scrolls. I never tested them out."

Before Kasuyu could do anything two Mist Ninja's came attacking her and the leader came up on Kasuyu and started to lung at Sakura.

Sakura remembering the swords she stole form the Main House and right when he came lunging at her she swipped at him with the two swords.

"You're to good to be a 13 year old." The Leader said as he dodged Sakura's multiple swipes.

"It is impossible for a girl your age and size to be able to proform some of the attacks you do."

Sakura didn't say anything and charged at him with one sword in each hand. Making the Leader have to dodge attacks, more than attakcing her.

As those two were fighting, Kasuyu was busy moving around and trying to swish the two other Mist Ninja's at her feet. But they wouldn't sit still.

'_We need a jutsu that will hit all of these Mist Ninja's in one blow. Then we can get Sakura-Sama to a hospital. Her injury is getting worse.'_

With the mentioning of the wound, while Sakura and the Mist Ninja's leader were battling, Sakura fell down on Kasuyu in pain. The Mist Leader watched as the girl cryed out in pain.

Kasuyu could feel the leader making his way over to Sakura, and with out warning she seperated herself so he would fall right through. Making it so he couldn't attack Sakura while she was donw. Once Kasuyu saw him fall down to the ground, she pulled herself back together.

"Sakura-Sama. Are you ok?" She said with worry in her voice.

Sakura tried to hold back another scream of pain as she tried to talk to the summoned slug.

"Y-Yeah. J-Just a r-reaction to a-a m-medicine." Sakura said as she coughed out blood.

"Sakura-Sama. We don't have much time. We need an attack. Now." Kasuyu said as she tried to stall her Summoner some more time to form a jutsu.

While Kasuyu would throw some poisionous smog at the opponetns, Sakura tried with all her will power to compose herself and get back up on her feet.

As she rose to her feet, she could feel another wave of pain flow though her, but she bit her lip as a way to control the scream that wanted to release itself from her mouth.

'_Ok__….what technique can I use?'_

'_**We only now a few so it shouldn't be to hard.'**_

Sakura watched as Kasuyu was trying to buy her some time. As Sakura watched the three Ninja's move around. It hit her.

'_That's it!'_

Sakura kneeled down on Kasuyu. "Kasuyu I figured it out. I just need a few more minutes."

"Hai Sakura-Sama!" she said as she tried even harder to bring them down so her Master wouldn't have to over-work herself.

Sakura closed her eyes once again and no matter how much it pained her, she called on her chakra for what she believed would be the last time.

'_Co__me on! Please work!'_

Not knowing what would happen once she did this jutsu, didn't matter to her anymore. She said she would pretect her loved ones. And that is what she is going to do!

Sakura formed the seals she memorized in the scrolls she read, and watched as the mist Ninja's ran for their lives.

Kasuyu could feel new energy crawl up around her. She turned her head to see Sakura's Chakra all around her.

"The Poisionous Armor Technique…..good choice." She said in a whisper as she saw her skin turn from a white to a purple and her blue strips turn yellow.

Kasuyu didn't waist any time. She told Sakura to hold on and leaning her head back she sent a series of poision prinks towards the three ninja's.

Two escaped, but one was too slow and got stabbed by the deadly poision. The two remaining ninja's didn't wait to see what would happen next. Kasuyu watched as her color changed once again to a yellow and white strips.

The leader and his remaining sidekick charged at the slug but right as the sidekick tried to attack the slug, he got attacked by a small yellow slug.

The yellow slug latched onto the sidekick and before the sidekick knew it, he was being eletrocuted. The leader watched as his remaining partner fell to the ground dead.

"How dare you!" He yelled filled with anger. He just wanted to kill the slug and that puny little 13 year old.

Kasuyu watched as he ran towards them. _'One more attack and it shall be all over.'_

As the leader ran at the slug, her color changed once again. Her normal color, white, was back but her stripes were bright orange.

The leader cautiously ran towards the slug. He thought that sicne she was so big, she wouldn't see him from behind. So he sent a shadow clone to make it look like he was attacking her from the front, while he would come from behind. Unfortunatly for him, a breeze picked up and soon he could see a mix of orange and grey around him.

"What is going on?!"

Kasuyu didn't say anything and she just watched as the man started to gag on the disgusting smell that circulated aroudn him. Soon the fums made their way into his lungs and all Sakura could hear was a good amount of coughing.

The coughing fit didn't last long and soon Kasuyu's coloring turned back to normal. Most of the Mist Ninja's were dead. Sakura was about to congradulate Kasuyu, but she reached her limit. As she was walking over to look at Kasuyu, she fainted in exhaustion.

Kasuyu watched as Sakura fell from her. With eyes wide, Kasuyu got a good look at her injuries. Her cloths were ripped to shreads, many cuts and burises accented her face, arms, and legs. Then her stomach was covered in blood, Kasuyu could see the fatal wound on her stomach.

Not waisting any more time, Kasuyu divided herself and soon she was about normal adult height. She waited until Sakura's body came colliding with hers. As Mini-Kasuyu caught her, she poofed away towards the hospital.

-----------**With everyone else**-------------

Time seem to go by so slowly as everyone waited to hear anything from Sakura. When all of a sudden they heard a knock at the door. When the Hokage opened the door, an ANBU came in holding three of the Mist Ninja's.

Itachi couldn't help but glare long and hard at them. They were the ones responsible for attacking his faimly, his home, and Sakura.

"I found these three in the Uchiha District. What shall I do with them?"

"Take them to the prision. I want them interigated later on." The Third said without hisitation.

"Hai." And with that the ANBU was gone.

"Hokage-Sama. Is it common for battles to go on for this long?" Mikoto asked as she moved away from the sleeping Sasuke, who passed out on the couch from being up past his bedtime.

"A battle can't be judged. Some last days, months, or years. But when it comes down to an outnumbered battle……"

The Hokage couldn't finish his sentence for they all saw a poof of smoke in the middle of the room. Everyone froze in their spot and waited for the smoke to clear.

As the smoke cleared right in front of them was a Mini-Kasuyu carrying a beaten up Sakura. Mikoto held back her gasp of releave and then worry. She started to cry into her husbands shoulder, out of what emotion? No one really knows.

Sarutobi walked over to the summoning and bowed down.

"Kasuyu-San. What a surprise."

Kasuyu just nodded. "You need to get Sakrua-Sama to a hospital now. Her injuries are critical."

Sarutobi nodded his head and picked Sakura up off the slug's back. When he did Kasuyu poofed away and his mouth nearly dropped. She was so beaten up. Kakashi was shocked that the little girl could handle so much damage, and Itachi….well he was mad.

His hands started to clench and he wanted so badly to run down to those three Mist Nin's and beat the shit out of them. But when the Hokage told him to bring Sakrua down to the hospital he threw those thoughts away.

Taknig Sakrua he ran with so much speed he felt like he was flying. But he made it so he didn't make Sakura's injuries become more irritated than they already were.

'_Sakura, you stupid girl! Why didn't you call for help?! Why did you have to be the hero and battle way to many ninja's for your own __good? You didn't have to prove yourself to anyone! I can't lose you! You're the only one I have! You're the only one that understands me!'_

While Itachi was mentally scolding her, he arrived at the hospital and followed where-ever they wanted Sakura to go. They told him to give her to them so they could take her to proform surgury on her. He was a little reluctant to let go of her and that's when he realized it.

'_Sakura…..please don't leave me…..I guess Kakashi is right…..I love you.'_

Itachi watched the doctor's run, with his best friend/crush, through the E.R. doors. He stood there untill he couldn't hear their footsteps anymore.

It wasn't long untill the waiting room was filled with Kakashi, Fugaku and Mikoto. Kakashi told Itachi that the Hokage had to figure out how to repair the damage done in the district. Sasuke however was sent to go stay with the day-care lady in the hospital for the time being.

-----------**With Sakura**----------

The Medic-Nin's were running around the operating table like a chicken without a head. Her injuries were horrible. They never seen anything like this before. A few internal organs were injuried, a few ribs were broken, and her stomach was just completely distroyed.

While they were throwing everything they got at Sakura, Sakura was having issues of her own.

------**Deep within Sakura's mind**-----

Sakura slowly opened her eyes and gently lifted herself up into a sitting position. As she looked around she saw that she was in a white plain.

'_Hello? Anyone here?'_

As Sakura moved her head left, right, and behind her she heard footsteps.

'**Finally I was able to get intouch with you.'**

Sakura's face light up and she rose to her feet, not noticing that she didn't twitch in pain ro anything, and ran towards the direction of the voice.

'_Anri! Oh my god! I have so many questions to ask you!'_

Sakura stopped right in front of the beautiful demon and saw her smile down at the young girl.

'**I can see that." **She then stared at Sakrua's wounds. **"What happened to you?"**

'_I had a run in with a few ninja. No big deal.'_

With the mention of Ninja's Anri's face truned completely pale.

'**What kind of Ninja.' **She demandingly asked.

'_Just a few Mist ninja's…..why?'_

Sakura watched as Anri's expression when back to worried and was no longer a scarey pale.

'_Anri answer my question.' _Sakura said in a warning voice, wondering what got the beautiful demon so worked up.

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**to**

**be**

**continued**

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**Author's notes: HA! Finally I finshed the cahpter! This thing took me all day to write! Just to let you know the jutsu used by Sakura with Kasuyu was completely made up. I also wanted to say sorry if Itachi or anyone else seemed OOC. I know that can ruin a story and I hope you tell me if there was OOC!**

**HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE STORY!**

**REVIEW PLEASE!! **


	11. Chapter 11

Authors Note: Hey there everyone…this would be my 5th story

_**Author's Notes: **_I love you all for reviewing to the previous action packed chapter! It means so much and it gives me that dedication to write a wicked good chapter for you all! For this chapter it isn't as action packed but there will be a lot of answered questions so enjoy!!

'_Thoughts' _"Talking"**"Anri"**

Everyone in the hospital waited impatiently as they watched various medical ninja's run in and out of the E.R. Mikoto would try to get their attention and ask them how Sakura was doing, but they all ignored her. They were too caught up in the surgery to pay any attention to anyone, let along her.

"How many Mist Ninja's were there when we left?" Mikoto whispered under her breath. She couldn't even imagine how bad Sakura's condition was.

Fugaku was sitting on the waiting room bench quietly, silently hoping they would find out what happened to her.

"I'm sure Sakura is fine Mrs. Uchiha. She's a stubborn kid." Kakashi said encouragingly to Mikoto. This ended up with her smiling in gratitude towards him.

Itachi was sitting silently, just like his father. He hated to wait. He couldn't do anything to help his best friend. After all that she did for him; she got him to act his age at times and she got him to be carefree for **split seconds** at a time. Even though he wouldn't admit it, she also got him to laugh……on the inside. She was also one of his friends that was his age. Now, at the time when she needs help the most, he can't provide her with any of it.

'_Never again. Never again will I leave you, Sakura. I promise you I won't put you in harms way ever again…..And I never break my promises.'_

--With Sakura--

Sakura was tapping her foot against the floor; waiting for Anri to tell her exactly who she thought attacked her. After a moment of silence, Anri sighed and gave up.

"**Fine I'll tell you Sakura-Chan………I was afraid that the Akatsuki attacked you."**

Sakura raised her pink brow towards her. _'What are you talking about? Why would they attack me in the past? They don't even know what I can do. Hell I DON'T EVEN KNOW what I have to do!"_

Anri watched as Sakura screamed towards her. Although Sakura felt horrible for snapping like that in front of her, Anri just stared at Sakura with emotionless eyes.

"**Sakura-Chan. You have no idea how important you are do you? They know there is a Chosen One out there. They just need to find out where that person is."**

'_But what do I have that makes me so special?! Tsunade has perfect chakra control too! She is the one that taught me what I know today!'_

Anri sighed and shook her head. **"I guess I didn't explain your situation very well to you did I?"**

Sakura shook her head and sat down. _'No you didn't. I wanted to ask you more about it…..but I never get in touch with you. I never had time to open the scroll up again…..' _Sakura rambled on.

Anri smiled warmly towards Sakura and sunk to the floor as well. **"Well now I can tell you in more detail. You see Sakura……you are one in a million to have the "perfect" chakra control. And when I mean by perfect is that you don't have to think twice about how much Chakra to apply to a jutsu. It just comes naturally to you. Making you a fast learner."**

'**And a great threat to the Akatsuki. And a strong ninja.' **Anri thought to herself.

'_But like I said before….Tsunde-Sama has the same Chakra control as I do. She could be the 'Chosen One' as well.' _Sakura said to Anri as she made invisible quotations when she said the Chosen One.

Anri shook her head. **"No Sakura-Chan. She can't be. You see, when the Demons are extracted from their containers, they are put in the weapon." **Anri paused waiting for Sakura to digest everything she was telling her. When Sakura nodded her head, Anri continued.

"**When you have powerful demons bouncing all around inside a tiny space, pressure is applied to the weapon. The more the ****Jinchuriki become unstable the more the weapon will become damaged."**

'_Which would mean that they need to be stabelized since the last thing Akatsuki want is their __life's work to be distroyed.' _Sakura said.

"**Exactly. You, Sakura, are the key ingredent to their weapon. You act like a neutralizer. Your Chakra is able to calm down all the J****inchuriki."**

Sakura's eyes went wide at the sudden realization. _'So without me to stableize their weapon, it will become distryoed? But that still doesn't answer my question Anri.'_

Anri nodded her head in understandment. She knew how it felt to not truly comprehend that you are so important.

--With Everyone Else--

It has been hours since Sakura was placed in the E.R. Everyone was getting extremely nervious and soon the Hokage himself joined them.

"Has any of them even talked to you about Sakura's condition?" Sarutobi asked.

Mikoto shook her head in fustration. "No. We all just have been sitting here waiting."

"I see." He said as he too, took a seat.

It wasn't long before a medic, in a long, no longer, whit lab coat, came out of the E.R. room. As he walked over to the group everyone stood up imediately.

Mikoto scanned the medic's lab coat to see splotches of blood all over his coat. It took all her will power to hold down her dinner.

"Are you all here for Miss. Haruno?" He asked as he took off his blood covered gloves and threw them into the waste basket while he grabbed the clip board he had underneath his arm pit.

"Hai." They all said, anxious to hear what Sakura's status was.

Nodding his head he took out the clip board and flipped through some pages. "I guess I'll fill you in on her status. When she was first rushed her by Mr. Uchiha, she suffered from several fractured ribs, punctured lungs, and her muscles and nerves were all jumbled up. The worst noticable injury was the hole that went right through her stomach." The Medic said with a heavy sigh. It was hard dumbing down the medica terms he could just rattle off the top of his head.

"Care to tell us how she got the muscles and nerves injury?" The Third said.

'_The other injruies are self explanitory. But why would her neves and muscles be mixed up?'_He thought.

The doctor shook his head. "It's hard to say. We have several hypothesis."

"Give us the most logical." Itachi sternly said.

Flipping through his clip board even more, he suddenly stopped and loked around to everyone.

"We believe some type of medicine was released in her system. We can't tell what was in it, or what it was used for, or even how it was used. But all we know is that this medicine served its purpose and then when it decided to stop working…..it attacked what ever it was near."

"Will Sakura be ok?" Kakashi asked. He was really worried for the little pink haired girl. She was the energy that was in their team. Without her everything would go back to boring. But all his concern was concealed by his mask.

"It's too soon to tell. But if she keeps going at the rate she is now, she will be ok."

"And what if she doesn't." Itachi blankly said.

"Her condition will get worse and she will never be able to continue her career as a Ninja. She will be lucky to walk after this. What ever that medicine was, it really put a extreme amount of pressure on her whole body."

Mikoto gasped as she raised her hand to her mouth, trying to hold back the sobs.

"What about her condition now?" Fugaku questioned.

"Now, her ribs are back into place, her punctured lungs are recovering nicely, and her stomach is slowly healing. We want her cells to heal some of her injuries, so right now all we can do is wait, watch her condition, and see what happens." He said.

"Can w-we see h-her?" Mikoto asked trying to conserve herself.

"Yes you can. But she is deep in sleep. It will be a while before she will wake up. And even when she wakes up, it would be wise for her to not speak. That way her lugns will have some rest."

Mikoto didn't wait for the Doctor to escort them to Sakura's room. She found it just fine on her own. Everyone was close behind her. They wanted to see Sakura, to ease their troubled minds that she was there and alive.

--With Sakura--

"**The reason why Tsunade isn't**** the right fit is because of her age. You see Sakura-Chan, if Tsunade were to be placed in the cercomstances that you are in, her body would crumble under the pressure. If she were to ever be captured and placed in the weapon with the Demons, her body wouldn't be able to move in ways the Demons want it to."**

Sakura's mouth went wide open. _'It all makes sence now……but wait a minute….then why am I in the past?! It makes no sense to send me back here!'_

Anri was going to continue on but she noticed Sakura's ripped clothing. Making a tisk noise with her tounge, she got up and with a wave of her hand Sakura's ratty cloths were replaced with a pretty dress accented with soft pink wrap around high heels.

The dress was knee length and black and pink. It was a halter top that wrapped nicely around Sakura's neck. The ties for the halter top was black and at the bottom of it had about a inch thick black stripe. The rest fo the dress was a soft pink with black outlines of flowers.

'_Thanks Anri….you didn't have to though.' _Sakura said as she stood up and twarled around in the new outfit.

"**You needed a new change of cloths.**** Your old ones were stained in blood and smelly."**

'_Oh.' _Sakura took a few minutes to awe at her new dress, but she looked right at Anri with a determined look.

'_Now tell me why you brought me into the past in the first place!' _

"**I marvel at how presistant you can be Sakura-Chan."**

'_D__on't change the subject.' _Sakura said as she glared at Anri. Making Anri giggle.

"**Ok fine. I b****rought you here because Akatsuki were going to find you. Granted, you were on your way home, but I didn't want to take that chance."**

'_Seriously? Well how long have they been looking for me? How long have I been away from my time? How do I get back home?' _Sakura bursted out with questions for Anri. She tried to keep her questions in a calm speed, but after hearing that she had to burst.

Anri giggled even more at Sakura's burst of questions. **"Let's take one question at a time. To answer your first question, they have been looking for you ever since they heard of what the Chosen One could do. They didn't know who it could be, at first, but now they have an idea. I didn't want to take the chance of them finding out it is you who they are looking for.'**

'_But won't they find out eventually? I mean everyone knows the Akatsuki find out everything about everyone even before we can.'_

"**Still, no one knows who it is exactly. You aren****'t ready to fight them off yet. Granted you need some tranning, but for now no one must know what your true power is for! One slip and you will put yourself and everyone else in grave danger!" **Anri raised her tone at Sakura as she stressed out how important it was for Sakura to keep this a secret.

'_But……But……' _Sakura saw Anri glaring at her with her bone chilling eyes and couldn't help but gulp under her glaze.

"**No Sakura-Chan. I am in charge of protecting you so they don't capture you! Please……just do me this one favor." **Anri said as her head dropped to the ground. **"Everyone I have known has been taken away by those Akatsuki scum, I can't lose you too."**

And for the first time since Sakura has met Anri, she saw the demon shed a lone crystal clear tear. Sakura watched as it slid down her cheek.

'_Ok Anri. I won't tell a soul.'_

"**Thank you Sakura-Chan." **Anri said with a smile returning to her face. **"And to answer your other two questions……well you have been away from your normal time for as long as you have been here. In order for you to get back……well……you can go when you want to."**

Sakura raised an eye brow towards her direction, truly perplexed by her answer.

'_What do you mean I can go back when I want to?'_

--With Everyone--

As Sakura's door opened, everyone couldn't help but hold in the gasps that threated to raise. They all piled into the hospital room and sat around her bed.

In front of them was a sleeping Sakura. Her stomach and chest area were covered in bandages, they could see the various monitors keeping track of her breathing, heart beat, and much more.

"Poor girl." Mikoto said as she ran up to the side of the bed and gently hugged Sakura.

Fugaku looked blanky at the pink haired girl in front of him. But deep inside his mind he wasn't as emotionless as he appeared.

'_Sakura……you saved my life and my family. Even though I treated you __like crap….you still helped me. It's not common for an Uchiha to say or even think this but…….you really did impress me. I can see why my wife and sons have taken a liking to you.'_

Kakashi just shook his head and slumped into a chair closest to him.

'_Well Pinky, look what you got yourself into this time. No doubt you must of ticked those Mist Ninja's off pretty badly. I told you to watch out with that mouth of yours.' _Kakashi thought as he let the cornors of his mouth give a slight smile towards the uncouncious girl.

Everyone sat in silence, just watching the uncouncious girl before them. The only proof that they had that told them she was even alive was the beeping of the many monitor machines that echoed through the dead silent room.

Saritobi walked up closely towards Sakura's body and they watched as his eyes scanned her whole form.

"What are you doing?" Itachi's warning tone raised as he watched Saritobi's actions with much intensity.

'_I made a promise and I'm not going to break it.' _Itachi thought as his stare was on Saritobi.

Saritobi turned his eyes from Sakura and he looked at the young Uchiha. The way he reacted towards him made him smile.

"Relax Itahi. I won't do anything to her……I'm just looking for something."

"And what would that be." Itachi said sternly. Narrowing his eyes with every passing second.

The Third was shocked at how Itachi was acting towards him. Normally he was the quiet one that stood in the cornor and would let Kakashi do all the talking.

Saritobi turned his head back towards Sakura. "I'm looking for….." The Third started to say ignoring Itachi's warning glare he could feel on his back.

As his eyes scanned Sakura's patched up body, he could see the various scrolls and herbs that were carried in her pouches. The medics were intructed to not touh any of the weapons or scrolls on any ninja. It would be unsafe and it would damage any evidence a ninja has found on their mission.

Itachi watched as his leader's hands came to Sakura's belt that was around her waist. He watched as his hands went into one of her pockets and pull out something.

"…..this" Saritobi finished his incomplete sentence as he pulled out a odd looking scroll with a blue string to tie it together.

"What is it?" Mikoto asked.

Itachi didn't know what it was either but when Kakashi gasped, everyone turned his way and stared at him.

"Impossible…..how did Pinky……" Kakashi was lost for words.

"So you know what this is Kakashi?" Saritobi said with a smile.

Itachi, Mikoto, and Fugaku watched Kakashi nodd his head.

"Why? What is that, that is in your hand?" Mikoto asked with a little irritation present in her voice.

The Third held the scroll up so everyone in the room could see it.

"Remember the slug that had Sakura on her back?" The Hokage watched as everyone, mainly Mikoto, nodd their heads. "That slug is a summon. And this scroll…." The Hokage undid the string and lifted up the scroll. "….is the key to that summon."

Everyone's eyes went wide and they all watched the scroll rolled down, unscrolled, on the floor. It contents being revealed to everyone.

"How can a 13 year old get their hands on a summoning scroll?!" Mikoto yelled.

"Someone must of gave it to her." Kakashi concluded. That is how he got his summoning scroll.

"But you need someone to teach you how to summon the creatures and what to do when you do summon them." Fugaku added to the conversation.

"She could of taught herself. That's what you did Kakashi." Itachi said. Defending Sakura.

Kakashi nodded his head. "True, but we don't know how much information Pinky knows about that scroll. It is possible you could teach yourself…..but you have to know at least a background of the scroll. And you would of had to sign your name to the spirit you're workin with."

"When will we find who taught her….or if someone even taught her at all? Or for Itachi's theory, who could of gave her that scroll in the first place?" Mikoto asked truly preplexed.

"Who in their right mind would give a 13 year old such a powerful scroll. You only get those types of scrolls when your mentor is dieing." Fugaku stated.

The Third shook his head. "All these theories are possible, but we won't know anything untill she wakes up."

"And how long will that take?" Kakashi asked.

Just as Kakashi started to ask that question the montors hooked up to Sakura started to beep at a fast rate. Everyone stepped back away from Sakura and watched as tons of medic flooded into the room.

"What is going on?!" Mikoto shouted.

No one could get a straight answer. All they could hear were the medics shouting out fancy names for certain things as they tried to figure out what was wrong with Sakura.

--**With Sakura**--

'_What do you mean I can go back when I want to?' _Sakura repeated herself not fully understanding what Anri was saying.

Anri smiled an all knowing smile towards her. **"You see Sakura-Chan, I brought you here as a way to stall time for the Akatsuki to pass over where you were. Once they passed our area and I made sure they were not coming back, I was going to bring you back……but I noticed something."**

'_What?! What did you notice?' _Sakura asked truly interested in what she would say.

Anri shook her head, making her silver hair sway with the way she shook her head. While letting out a giggle.

'**Sakura-Chan don't tell me you don't notice it!' **Anri said as she acted completely stunned like it was as plain as bread.

'_What are you taling about?! I have no idea what you mean.' _Sakura whinned.

Anri sighed and snapped her fingers. And with the snap of her fingers, the background changed. Sakura stood up and watched as flashback from when she was 13 came into view. She watched as she flirted with Sasuke even after he completely crushed her confidnece.

'_Ok…..what does that have to do with anything?'_

"**Watch it all and then you tell me."**

Sakura then watched as the background changed again and now there were flashbacks of her hanging out with Itachi. It first showed her time she spent with him and Sasuke but then switched over to the incident right before he left to go on his mission.

The more Sakura watched her flashbaks with Itachi, the background started to do a split screen. She watched as it matched up one scene with Sakura and Sasuke with a scene with Itachi and Sakura.

It was like it was trying to show her the similarity and differences between the two.

As she watched the two scenes play back and forth, the more she realized that she acted just like she did when she was 13. But not as dramatic and she could see some of the looks she would give Itachi that she never knew she could give.

Some had longing, while others had the look of content. She watched as a scene played when her and Itachi got caught in the rain once and they were forced to stay under the tree the whole night. That was when Sakura really notied how much she oogled at Itachi.

She watched as her eyes would travel up and down his body, then how her eyes would show awe when he tied the tree branchs together, trying to get the water to fall on them less. She then noticed how willingly she let herself feel at ease and comfortable around the soon-to-be killer. Sakrua couldn't believe how her face betrayed so much emotion, even when he was not even 10 feet away from him! What was even more confusing was that he didn't even seem to notice. Well at least that's what she thought.

'_You're kidding me right?...there is no way…" _Before Sakura could finish her shocked sentence, she feel to her knees and started to hold her stomach.

"Ahhhhhh!" She screamed.

Anri stopped the flashbacks imediately and ran to Sakura's side. As Anri tried to lift Sakura up into a sitting position, she could feel a good amount of blood dripping down her arm.

"Sakura-Chan…." Anri said with worry.

Sakura looked down at her stomach and sighed. _'I knew there would be side affects to that potion, but I didn't think….'_

Again Sakura coudln't finish her sentence thanks to another wave of pain that overcame her.

"Sakura-Chan, what potion? What are you talking about?"

Sakura only shook her head at Anri and grunted out a few words. But those few words were so mumbled, that all Anri could hear were:

'_Me…..heal….now.'_

Anri didn't have a clue what that ment, but she watched as Sakura called onto her chakra to start fixing her wounds. As Sakura used her Chakra, Anri noticed that her chakra reserves weren't even a quarter full.

So with much skill, Anri activated her chakra and started to pour her chakra into Sakura. But Anri made sure to configure her chakra making it fit into Sakura's system.

'**What ever potion she used it serverly damaged her. As long as I keep configuring my chakra to her, she can fully heal herself.'**

--**With everyone else**--

Itachi watched on the sidelines as the medics were running back and forth from table to table, getting all the tools they needed.

Apparently from what he could gather, Sakura's system was acting towards what ever drug was in her from her battle. He knew how servere Sakura' condition was in and it just got him even more fustrated.

'_Right when something good in my life comes around something__ bad happens to it.'_

Itachi could feel his anger rising, but he made sure to swallow it back down.

'_Sakura…..please be ok. I don't know what I would do if you left. Please at least let me tell you how I feel about you…..and maybe…..even let me see if you feel the same.' _

to

be

continued

**Author's Note: I'm sooooo sorry that it took me this long to post a chapter! I have been soo busy with school and then parties I have been goig to have made it difficult for me to write a chapter. But after this week everything will calm down.**

**I hope you all liked the chapter and I hope you all enojyed the some fluff I tried to put in there. :) **

**Hope no one was too OOC**

**REVIEW PLEASE!!**


	12. Chapter 12

Authors Note: Hey there everyone…this would be my 5th story

_**Author's Notes: **_ I'm just amazed at how many people are reviewing to this story! Some of the reviews are soo sweet and so nice; I can't help but thank you all for your encouraging reviews and your continuation on reading this story! It makes me cry out in joy! :)

So without further adieu I give you……………THE NEXT CHAPTER! Enjoy!

'_Thoughts' _**'Anri' **"Talking" _**'Inner Sakura'**_

--

Sakura tried with all her might to keep her mind concentrated on the task at hand but the pain was just too great. Anri could feel her attention slipping and her inability to continue healing herself, even with the help of her chakra.

"**Sakura-Chan! Are you ok?!" **She shouted truly worried for Sakura.

Sakura tried to nod her head to indicate to Anri that she was ok, but the waves of pain were coming more frequently that it was too painful to even do a simple notion as to nod her head.

Anri was about to say something but she watched as Sakura completely stopped healing herself and lost consciousness. Anri stopped configuring her chakra long enough to catch Sakura before she hit the ground.

'**I don't know what is going on with you Missy. But with my chakra in your system now, it will be easier for me to stay in contact with you. So don't be too shocked when you start talking to yourself and I pop in.' Anri** thought with a smile, picturing Sakura's face when Sakura would realize that Anri was in her thoughts.

On the outside world, medics were running in and out of Sakura's room trying to stop the excessive bleeding. One nurse ordered everyone to get out of the room, so the medics would have more space to work.

This brought them right back to waiting impatiently, which every single one of them loathed with a burning passion.

The Uchiha's, and Kakashi watched intently as the medics worked their magic on Sakura. Sakura spent four hours in the presence of the medics until she was able to be left unattended.

Some of the medics tried to get them all to go home, to wash up and get a good sleep, but no one wanted to move. They all sat and watched Sakura with a hawk's eye.

After the "attack" Sakura had, the medics explained to everyone what happened to Sakura.

"What happened to her?!" Mikoto yelled out loud, as everyone stood outside Sakura's room. They were outside the room trying to give Sakura peace so she could sleep.

The head medic raised his hands as an act to calm down the furious female that was ready to rip his head off in front of him.

"Mrs. Uchiha, please, let me explain her situation before you get infuriated." He said in a calm tone.

Fugaku held his wife by the shoulders as an act to calm her down. When his action worked everyone looked towards the medic as a way to tell him to continue.

The man cleared his throat and began, what he knew would be a long explanation.

"You see, from what we can gather about her condition, is that the medicine that was released into her system at the time of her battle was to stop her from excessively bleeding."

Kakashi looked at the medic with narrowing eyes. Fugaku and Itachi betrayed nothing, and Mikoto….well her mouth was wide open.

"You mean that Sakura took a shot to help her in the battle, which later brought her to this weakened state." Fugaku concluded.

The medic shook his head up and down. "From what we can gather is that she injected it into herself as a way to control the bleeding from her stomach wound. It's like the Domino Effect. Once one is knocked down the rest follows it."

"Where did she get this medicine?" Itachi flatly asked. How could she obtain a concoction that was very unstable?

"We asked around the hospital and one medic told us that Miss. Itou was seen in the laboratory for one of her medicine classes. We tracked down the teacher and she told us Sakura was working on a medicine to stop excess bleeding during battle."

"So you're assuming that Pinky used it during the battle." Kakashi concluded.

"It is the most logical conclusion we have. The medic told us that Sakura had been working on this substance for a couple of days, but a medic at her level should know never to use an untested medicine."

"When you're in battle it doesn't matter, you do what ever you can to survive." Itachi whispered as he turned his head to Sakura's bed.

'_What in the world?!' _

Everyone also looked in Sakura's direction and saw exactly what he saw.

"Sakura!" Mikoto yelled, while everyone ran to her room.

"Call the Hokage now!" The head medic said to one of the other medics.

--With Sakura--

In the deep depths of her mind, laid Sakura. She wasn't lying in pain, no, that had passed some time ago. She was lying there, deep in thought.

'_How could I? How could I have fallen in love with the enemy?! Why me?!'_

Sakura could feel tears start to form in her eyes. She tried so hard to blink them away, but the realization of her predicament came crashing down on her. Causing her to burry her head in her arms and cry her heart out.

'_What am I going to do when I return home? What would they say?! Would anyone even remember me?'_

Sakura felt herself hiccup several times as her thoughts ranted on and on. Never before have she felt this much puzzlement within herself. She felt confusion, sadness, anger, and most of all concern.

'_I wonder……if I leave…..would any of them even remember me?'_

Her tear stricken face lifted up from her arms and she sat up into a sitting position.

'_Ugh! Why do I have to be the one in these situations?! Why do I have to always fall for the unattainable guys?!'_

'_**I told you to watch out….but noooo you don't want to listen to me!'**_

'_Oh come on! How could I have prevented this?! It's not like I have the power to control how I like and who I don't like!'_

'_**True but you can narrow your range of men you talk to.'**_

'_You know you're seriously not helping me! What am I suppose to do about this?! I wish I could just leave it all behind, go back to the "future" and pray to God that my presence here will be forgotten.'_

'_**And what about your feelings for the elder Uchiha? What are we going to do about that? Huh?'**_

Sakura groaned at her inner self and shook her head. _'No one will know what happened here and no one will know I fell in love with an S-ranked criminal. I'll lock up those feelings and throw away the key if I have too!'_

"**Are you sure Sakura-Chan?" **

Sakura shook her head a couple of times, as an act to get ride of the intruding voice. But when she recognized the voice she was shocked beyond belief. How was she hearing Anri in her head?!

'_Anri?! How did you….? How are you…?'_

"**Sakura-Chan answer my question. Do you really want to put all this behind you?"**

'_Would I?! Hell yes! I wish I could just run away from this place! Pretend nothing ever happened at all! Why do I always have to do this to myself? How come I'm the one that falls for the soon-to-be evil men?!'_

Anri's smile couldn't have gotten any wider. Sakura's face was priceless. But she swallowed her amusement and continued on with the subject.

"**I told you that you could go whenever you wanted to. Now is the time. Are you sure about this?" **

Sakura didn't think too much about what she was saying to the voice in her head. She was too embarrassed with herself to fully comprehend with what she was saying to Anri.

'_I just want to leave this place, it's the past anyways, it's not like they will even remember me.' _Sakura thought in bitterness.

Anri nodded her head as she unrolled the scroll. Sakura watched as Anri formed a few hand seals and a bright sky blue chakra light encased her whole body.

'_What is going on?!' _She yelled as the light circled all around her.

Anri walked up to her and sighed. **"I'm doing what you asked me. You wished to be brought away. I'm doing just that."**

Sakura's emerald eyes went wide. She didn't say anything and watched as Anri brought her out of Sakura's mind and into the hospital room she was staying in.

Sakura looked around the room and saw her own body next to her.

'_Is that….me?'_

Anri nodded her head, while her ice blue eyes concentrated on Sakura's body before them.

"**Yes. Right now we are in spirit form. I guess you can say it's my special ability. Like how Shukaku's signature ability is to use sand as a shield."**

Sakura turned her attention back to her beaten up body, but then her attention turned to the swinging door to her left. She watched as Kakashi, Mr. & Mrs. Uchiha, Itachi, and a medic came running through the door.

Turning her body around, Sakura could see the sky blue light engulfing her real body as well. She turned back around towards the people in the room.

'_Well I guess this is good bye. It was great to see you again Kakashi. Now I have some black mail on your sorry ass when I get home.' _She thought as she smiled at Kakashi.

Her glaze fell to the soon-to-be deceased Uchiha's and she smiled a bitter smile.

'_At least I was able to get to know you two. Now I know where Itachi and Sasuke get their personalities.'_

She lastly turned her attention to Itachi. Her bitter smile fell and was replaced with a frown. She walked up close to him and she extended her hand out to touch his cheek. Only to have it go right through him. It didn't faze her, and she returned her hand onto his cheek, but she kept it there.

'_How? How could I have fallen for you? I got over Sasuke. That much is true. But I guess that I never really will get over an Uchiha….considering you stole my heart. How it happened? I don't know. But you will never find out.'_

Sakura could feel her heart breaking into a billion pieces; she knew it was the right thing to do. The world she would be returning to would never accept the two of them together. They were too….different.

Sakura could feel a bitter laugh crawl up her throat. Anri, although concentrating, could hear everything Sakura was saying.

'**The poor girl. Her heart just had a habit of choosing the dangerous men. Oh Sakura-Chan……'**

'_I probably would never have told you in the first place anyways. You would reject me just like Sasuke did when I was thirteen. But it looks like you wouldn't have the chance to.'_

While Sakura was talking to everyone that couldn't even see her, everyone else was freaking out.

"Where did this chakra come from?" Kakashi asked completely confused.

The head medic tried to get close to Sakura's body, so he could get a sample of the chakra, but the chakra was like a barrier. Making no one come close to Sakura and repelling objects that came close to her body.

"We need to get it off." Itachi pointed out the obvious as he started to form hand seals to activate a jutsu.

Fugaku shook his head towards his son. "No Itachi. If you use a jutsu on Sakura, we don't know if she will endure even more damage that she has now."

Itachi stopped his jutsu but didn't show his anger that he felt towards the predicament they were encountering. He was about to move towards her when he felt a cold chill rise up his spine.

'_What in the world?'_

He couldn't explain the strange feeling he got just then. His body didn't and wouldn't move from its spot. He felt the chill grow more intense towards his face. Not knowing what was going on, he stood there, betraying nothing. Soon he thought he could feel someone's warm hand on his face. But that was preposterous. No one was next to him.

It wasn't long before the Hokage came rushing into Sakura's room as well. When he saw Sakura's body encased in chakra he couldn't prevent his pipe to fall out of his mouth in shock.

"What is going on?" He whispered to himself.

Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what to do, what to say, or even know what to think about the situation. It seemed as though time stopped for everyone. Some had flashbacks of all the times they had with Sakura, others thought that Sakura was finally getting the full affects of the medicine and her body was giving out, and others…..well…..they just didn't know what to think.

Before anyone had time to snap out of their trance they saw the blue chakra start to thin out in color, making Sakura's body seen clearly by them.

It looked like clouds were floating around Sakura. Like powdered snow flew through the sky in a snow globe.

Itachi, now able to move his body again, stretched out his hand. Afraid to lose the one thing that made him feel…….almost human. But just as he held out his hand, the chakra spin around Sakura in a rapid speed and before they knew it…..her body vanished.

Sakura watched as a blue glow encased her spiritual body and spun around her, just like what was happening to her real body. Soon, she was no longer in the presence of her friends and in a hospital room.

Now she was floating through a black hole. It wasn't like one of those time streams with floating memories of what happened through out your life, no, it was a blank portal. Sakura felt her body sway in the way of the hole, until she felt herself being dropped down by gravity.

'_Ow! What the hell was that?!'_

Sakura blinked her eyes a couple of times and realized that she was in a forest.

"Ok first I'm in a hospital and now I'm in a forest?! Make up your mind!" She yelled to no one in particular.

As Sakura lifted herself up and healed the bruise that was forming on her butt, she realized something.

She noticed her gloved hands outstretched in front of her. Stopping in mid action, she let her eyes trail down her body, to find two well developed breasts obstructing her view.

"I have boobs?!...I have boobs!" She cried out in joy.

"That means I'm not 13 anymore! I'm a nineteen year old woman!" Sakura was so happy that she finished checking out her matured body.

She looked over her well built thighs and calves, and then traveled to her muscular, yet very curvy abdomen. Sakura felt the sigh of contempt that escaped from her throat.

"Yes! I'm back to my old self!"

'**Sakura-Chan I hate to interrupt your reunion with yourself……but we got company!'**

Sakura stopped her yelling and her face turned from happiness to complete seriousness.

'_What does she mean…..THAT'S RIGHT! I'm still in Stone's forest! Shit!'_

Realization hit her and she cursed at herself for getting caught up in talking to herself.

'_Even though I was gone for a month they are still after this scroll? They don't give up do they?'_

With fiery determination flaming through her emerald eyes, she ran full force through the forest. She spread her chakra around a 5 mile radius and she could feel the stone ninja running at her.

"Ah the thrill of a chase. Now this is what I miss." Sakura whispered to herself, finally happy to be back home and in her own time.

It didn't take long for her to come up with a plan to erase her trail from the Stone ninja's.

'_He, he. Perfect. I'll send half of them one way and cast a gen-jutsu on the other half.'_

With a few simple hand seals, she summoned a clone and sent her one way, to lead some of them one way, while she took care of the remaining Stone shinobi.

Sakura felt half of the men follow her clone and the other half followed her. It wasn't long before she had the two Stone ninjas under a genjutsu she strategically placed. A few minutes later her clone send two kunai's dripped in sleeping liquid towards the other two Stone ninjas. All she wanted to do was knock them out, to get them out of her way. She didn't want to kill them.

Smiling at her job well done, Sakura felt her Chakra return back to her body and she continued on her way home. As she was traveling back home she noticed that her wounds from her fight back in the past were gone.

'_Anri….did you heal me while I was going though the time portal?'_

'**No Sakura-Chan I didn't. You see, when you traveled back to your real time, it placed you back to the way you were, when you had no life threatening injuries.'**

Sakura nodded her head up and down in understanding. She ran for hours through the thick forest. Two hours passed until she reached Suna. Even though she was tired and wanted to rest, her desire to go home was greater. She stopped in Suna to restock food and water, only to leave an hour later. Now she was walking though the hot desert sand for hours.

She couldn't run, for she could suffer from heat exhaustion and, or, sun stroke. Not matter how impatient she was to get home, she had to think rational about things.

'_Ugh….if only I could go faster. But what if I run into an enemy or something? That would not be…..'_

Sakura stopped dead in her tracks. She looked behind her, in front of her, and left and right. There was no where for her to hide.

'_This is why I hate the desert.' _Sakura though bitterly as she ran a few feet away and buried herself in sand. Making sure to give herself a peep hole and to conceal her chakra in the process.

Sakura watched, through her man-made peep hole, to see two men in straw hats and red clouded robes.

'_Shit! Akatsuki!'_

Sakura felt herself involuntarily hold her breath. She watched with steady eyes as the two S-criminal's stopped right where she was standing a few minutes ago.

"Ah! I hate the desert! Why are we here anyway?! It's obvious that the person we're looking for isn't here. Why would they be here?!" Yelled a big man who looked like a fish.

His partner turned his dull red eyes towards the blue man and didn't betray anything.

"We look anyways." Was all he said.

Sakura held in the gasp that she could feel explode from her mouth.

'_Impossible! I thought I would get away from him too! Just my luck.'_

'**Sakura-Chan. Be careful, Kisame and Itachi are searching for you. And this Itachi isn't the one that you became friends with. He has changed.'**

Sakura could feel small tears of sadness form in her eyes. _'Don't worry Anri. I know Itachi isn't the person he use to be.'_

Snapping out of her thoughts, Sakura watched as the two Akatsuki left just as fast as they came. Taking a moment to check her surroundings, she unburied herself from the sand and continued on her way.

Deciding to take a rest, Sakura set up a small bed for her, made out of sand, and fell fast to sleep. The next morning Sakura got up bright and early. She cleared out her camp and made her way towards Kohana.

It seemed like forever, until she was able to see the forest that marked the end of the desert and the beginning of Fire Country territory.

"Finally! Almost there. Just a few more hours." Sakura said to herself as she picked up her pace and ran towards the forest.

Half way through the forest Sakura noticed the same Chakra signatures she felt when she was traveling in the desert coming in fast.

'_What are they doing this close to Kohana?! They better not be after Naruto!'_

Sakura was about to find a hiding place in the trees, but she noticed that her feet wouldn't move. As her glaze looked down to her feet, she noticed kelp binding around her feet.

'_God Damn it.' _She snarled in response towards the kelp that held her feet paralyzed. 

Sakura's back was towards Kisame and Itachi, and she heard Kisame chuckling.

"Look what I caught Itachi! Some little girl……are we lost in the woods little one?" He asked with male humor present in his voice.

Sakura could feel her anger rising with each passing word Kisame let out of his shark-like mouth. She knew her size deceived most ninja, and she wanted to prove just how wrong he was.

"Shut it Fish-man." Sakura grunted out.

Sakura could feel Kisame's amusement rise even more. "Oh a feisty one aren't we?"

Kisame and Itachi watched as Sakura's hands tightened into fists. Itachi stepped back and watched the scene unfold. He believed that he only needed to fight when necessary. A little weird for a murderer, but that's what he believed in.

"I said shut-up." Sakura's voice got a little louder as her fists got a little tighter.

"What cha going to do about it……Pinky?" He said tauntingly towards Sakura. Not seeing how she could possibly break out of his kelp.

Kisame's choice of nickname for Sakura made both Itachi and Sakura receive flash backs. Kisame could hear the gasp escape from her mouth and watched as her body started to shake.

Itachi, on the other hand, didn't indicate any emotion what so ever. He just stood there, while he banished the flashbacks of the pink-haired girl from his childhood.

'_To think that you came from the future….and now……I've found you……Sakura Haruno.'_

Sakura couldn't take it anymore. She effortlessly broke out of Kisame's hold and turned around sharply, glaring at him.

"What did you say?!" She yelled, full murder clearly evident in her eyes and voice.

Kisame smirked a shark tooth grin. "I said….what cha going to do about it….Pinky."

'_That's the last straw! He's going down!' _

Kisame watched as Sakura ran full force at him intending to kill him.

'**Sakura-Chan! Don't! Just run home! Forget about it! It's not worth it! Remember what I told you!' **

But Sakura didn't listen to Anri's advice. She ran full force at the fish and at full speed.

Itachi watched as the young lady snapped under Kisame's remark. He watched as she ran up towards Kisame, and how Kisame chuckled in amusement towards the attempts of the pink haired girl. But to Kisame's surprise, she didn't punch him, she punched the forest ground. Causing it to crack underneath her powerful punch.

Kisame's reaction towards Sakura's display of power as priceless. He was lucky enough to jump out of the way from the punch.

"Oh, ho, ho. Looks like Pinky has a few tricks up her sleeve." Kisame smirked as he stood up on a branch.

Itachi could feel old feelings resurface, as he saw Sakura's reaction towards the nickname. But on the outside, his face was as still as stone.

"Kisame." Itachi ordered, before Kisame had a chance to jump down from the tree and attack the woman in front of him.

"What!" Kisame groaned out in annoyance. He was really looking forward to "dancing the tango" with this ball of fire.

'_Oh come on Itachi! I just want a little fun with the feisty lady. We don't find many like this on our travels. Not to mention she is on sexy something something.' _

"Stop playing around. Go scout ahead. We don't have time for useless ninja." Itachi said in a monotone voice that revealed nothing.

Sakura felt Itachi's words cut through her like a knife. She knew he was a cold blooded murderer and she knew she wasn't suppose to feel this way. But she couldn't help but feel sadness swell inside her thanks to his complement. It reminded her so much of how Sasuke would treat her. But she swallowed that feeling down and stood there head up high.

Kisame, after a long stream of cursing, loosely nodded his head and ran through the trees. Leaving Sakura and Itachi alone.

For a few moments Sakura felt the tension rise in the air. She could hear Anri screaming at her to bolt out of there, but she couldn't. Her body wouldn't let her. No matter how hard she tried.

Itachi shifted his careless glaze towards Sakura for a split second before she saw him disappear from sight.

'_What the….?' _Sakura thought as she walked over, cautiously, to where he once stood.

"Well that was…...pointless." Sakura said to herself, as one eye brow was raised in the air in complete confusion.

"Really now." Said a dark voice from behind her.

Sakura's eyes grow wide as she felt his hot breath tickling her neck. She could feel his heat radiating off his body and she heard him move closer towards her.

Itachi felt the need to smirk at her stiffened state, but surpassed it. It was bad enough his feelings were resurfacing.

"Did you think you could run away from me?" He whispered in an almost whispered tone.

Sakura could feel his lips brush against her ear and she just stood there dumbfounded trying not to shutter under his touch.

"What are you talking about." Sakura grunted out. Trying to hide her shock.

'_He couldn't of possibly remembered me…..could he?'_

Itachi forcefully turned her around and slammed her into the bark of the tree. His Sharingan eyes focused on her, and only her.

Sakura watched eyes wide, as his face came closer and closer towards her face. She could feel her breath get caught up in her throat, and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest at an unsteady rate.

His face stopped when he was merely a few inches from her face. His dark, evil eyes, staring into her bright, innocent eyes. It showed how different both their worlds were. His revolved around killing while hers revolved around saving.

Once Sakura vanished from that hospital bed, Itachi remembered himself scaling the whole Fire Country to find her. Only to find nothing. He knew once she left he would return back to an empty shell. And that he did. Soon after Sakura's disappearance, the Uchiha Massacre came. Leaving Sasuke the lone survivor and Itachi left to join the Akatsuki.

As time passed Itachi researched everything he could about time travel. But all he could find were incantations that didn't fit the scenery he had in mind.

Itachi thought he forgot about his little crush and thought he locked away all his feelings, but now, with the girl, now a woman, in front of him. He felt all self control slipping away. To make it any worse, he couldn't stop it.

For that, he was furious. But he didn't dare let it show. It would show just how much his self control was slipping. He just stood there staring into her eyes, while she stared right back. But that didn't last very long, for Itachi couldn't take it anymore.

Sakura didn't know what hit her, one minute she was having a staring contest with Itachi and then the next she was being pulled deeper into a kiss.

'_Wait a minute! A kiss?! What is going on here?!'_

Itachi could feel her struggling underneath him, so he pushed her closer to him. Now that he found her he wasn't going to let her go. Even after all that time she was gone, and even after he found out who she really was, that tiny flame inside him never diminished. It still burned for her, no matter how much he didn't want it to.

He broke their rough kiss and let his head rest on her large forehead. As he did so, Sakura noticed their position. He had both his strong arms wrapped around her waist and their legs were entangled with each other.

"I know who you are, don't think I didn't remember you. But remember this….Sakura……You are mine." Itachi said with growing possessiveness evident in his voice.

Although Sakura could feel her cheeks burning with a dark, as a tomato, blush she pushed him away. No matter how much her body wanted to stay in their little holding position.

Itachi eyed Sakura up and down, now back to his emotionless face. Anri's words were starting to penetrate the wall Sakura put up in her mind and Sakura knew she outstayed her welcome here.

"Good-Bye Itachi." Was all Sakura said as she dashed full speed into the forest.

Itachi revealed nothing and watched her run through the forest. He watched as her short hair swayed in the same pattern as her hips and butt. He knew he could of caught her easily, but he decided he would visit her….another time.

'_Looks like we will be meeting again Sakura.'_

Sakura felt the adrenaline pumping through her veins, causing her to run so fast it felt like she was flying through the forest instead of running.

'_How could I have been so stupid as to let him gain control like that?! Why?! Why?! Why?!'_

Sakura was mentally beating herself up for her slip up. She no longer could interact with Itachi, for they were on two different sides. It was wrong to love the enemy….right?

'_Look what I got myself into….'_

And with that Sakura continued running, thinking about how she was going to explain her absence to her Sensei, and how everything changed.

If Itachi remembered her, than that meant that everyone she interacted with in the past, remembered her. Another thing she would have to look out for.

'_Great just great.'_

_**TO**_

_**BE**_

_**CONTINUED**_

**Author's Note: Hey there everyone! I hope you liked the added humor in there, I figured you all needed a laugh. I'm really sorry for the delay in posting a chapter I just couldn't get on the computer in time to post it last weekend. I hope this chapter makes up for my delay! **

**Sorry if anyone is way OOC, if they are tell me how to fix it! Please! :) **

**Please tell me what you think! **


	13. Chapter 13

_**Author's Notes: **_Oh guys I am soo sorry! I feel so bad that I have not updated in such a long time! And here I thought I was going to update sooner rather than later. I feel so ashamed. :( . For those who are continuing to read, I thank you so much for your devotion to this story. And just for that, I'm making it a longer chapter than normal! ENJOY!! :)

--

Sakura ran for a couple more hours through the forest. When she got closer and closer towards Kohana she couldn't help but feel happiness and relief grow inside her.

'_Finally! I'm home! Home sweet home!'_

Her pace picked up even faster. She was eager to finally see her friends and family. Her two week mission ended up turning into a month long trip!

'_I wonder what everyone has been up to? If I remember correctly, Tsunade knew that I ended up in the past. Otherwise she wouldn't have sent that letter.'_

Sakura slowed her pace down as she got closer the gates that guarded her beautiful city. As she walked over towards the guards, she could hear voices farther behind, and if she squinted enough, she was about to see a group of people next to a water fountain.

The guards stood up straight at the sight of Sakura. She turned her head towards them and waved. They simply moved aside so the woman could pass into the village.

After passing the military-like guards, Sakura heard the voices grow louder and louder. Curious over took her and she walked towards the voices.

At the water fountain stood the whole Rookie 9. Neji, Ten-Ten, Lee, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Ino, Shikamaru, Chioji, Naruto, Sai, and even Tsunade was there too.

"What do you mean the ANBU haven't found her?!" Naruto yelled, truly infuriated about the whole thing.

"Calm down Dickless. We know you want to find her." Sai grumbled under his breath.

Neji just stood there and slowly nodded his head. "Sorry Naruto, but we just haven't found any leads yet."

"That is preposterous! How can a woman with PINK HAIR vanish off the face of the earth?!" Ino yelled.

Hinata sheepishly nodded her head and Ten-Ten just placed her hand on Ino's shoulder.

"Ino, every one of us here is concerned for Sakura-Chan. But that doesn't mean you take it out on Neji-Kun."

"It's just troublesome to worry."

"What did you say lazy-ass?!" Naruto yelled.

Kiba knew something was going to happen if Naruto wasn't tamed soon. Not waiting for an invitation, he held Naruto back, making sure he didn't charge at Shikamaru. Everyone knew he would.

"Calm down Naruto." Kiba hissed in his hear. He was somewhat struggling. It was like trying to hold onto a wet bar of soap.

"Hokage-Sama. Isn't there something we can do to find Sakura-San?" Lee asked the surprisingly calm Hokage.

The whole village knew the close mother-daughter like relationship Tsunade and Sakura have accustomed. It puzzled Lee to see her so calm and collected, since it's been a month and they still haven't found Sakura.

Tsunade looked towards the Gai look-a-like and sighed.

'_I've procrastinated on this topic. I can no longer hold it off. They all need to know the truth.'_

Tsunade cleared her throat and everyone turned their attention towards their leader.

"Hai?" They all said in unison.

Taking a deep breath in and out, she stared at each and every one of their faces. Figuring out how their reaction would be once she told them.

"You all are probably wondering why I am so calm about this whole situation…."

She trailed off to see a light bulb go off in everyone's head. Now that she mentioned it, they have noticed how calm she has been.

"Yeah! Why is that Baa-Chan?" Naruto asked, truly perplexed.

Tsunade held back the temptation to back-hand him.

"I'm calm about this because the mission I had Sakura go on, before she disappeared, was to receive a scroll. This scroll holds a power that is unknown. She was sent to retrieve it…."

Tsunade stopped in the middle of her sentence, which made everyone raise an eye brow in her direction.

'_Sakura! You're back!' _Tsunade could see her pink haired student walking towards them. Although she made it seem that she was calm on the outside she was worried sick for her.

"Sakura!" Tsunade screamed out at the top of her lungs. Causing the group of people to turn around and causing Sakura to sprint towards them.

"Tsunade-Sama!" Sakura shouted out as she stopped right in front of everyone. She then smiled towards everyone. "Hey guys! Is this my welcoming party?" she giggled at her own joke.

It took everyone a few seconds to process who it was that was in front of them.

"Sakura-Chan!" Naruto yelled and gathered her into a bone crushing hug. It didn't take long for everyone to join in on the group hug. Only Neji, Tsunade, and Shino didn't join in on the hug.

After everyone left Sakura some room to breath, they could see the growing smile plastered on her face.

"Where have you been forehead?!"

"Yeah Sakura-Chan, you made us worried sick." Hinata said.

"The both of them are right Sakura-Chan. Never do that again." Ten-Ten said as she lightly punched Sakura on the arm.

Sakura smiled at them and shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry everyone. I didn't mean to make you all worry about me. It's just that the mission…..took longer than expected."

As the mention of the mission, Tsunade's face went sour. "Sakura. Meet me in my office. Now."

Sakura was a little taken back by her Sensei's sudden order but realization hit her and she nodded her head.

"But Baa-Chan! Sakura-Chan just got here! Can't you let her chill out of a day until she comes to talk to you?!"

The look Tsunade sent Naruto was a sharp glare. Telling him not to even push the matter. He swallowed down the lump growing in his throat and gulped.

"Never mind." He turned his attention towards Sakura. "Hey, once you and Baa-Chan are done talking, come to the Ramen Bar. We'll throw a party there! I'll invite everyone!"

And with that every one of Sakura's friend's ran trying to get ready for the party. While Sakura and the Hokage made their way towards her office.

Once Tsunade closed her soundproof doors, Sakura took a seat at the front of her desk and Tsunade sat on the top of her desk.

"Sakura. You do know I am happy you have finally came back from the mission. But I need a mission report. Now."

Sakura raised an eye-brow towards her mentor. "You want a written one?"

Tsunade shook her head. "No Sakura I don't. I want a verbal one. I know that mission wasn't intended to take a month and a half, but it did."

Sakura took a sigh and nodded her head. "Yes it did."

"Why? What happened?"

Sakura slouched a little in the chair. She knew she was going to be there a little longer than she thought.

"The scroll you sent me to retrieve was easy to get. It wasn't the obtaining part that made it hard, it was the….after affect that caused a dilemma in my E.T.A."

"Was I right about what the scroll's power would be?" Tsunade asked as she remembered sending a note back into the past.

"Well….in a way. You see the scroll did take me back into the past….but that wasn't its….main power."

"What are you implying?"

Sakura reached into her pocket to pull out the scroll and placed it on her lap.

"This scroll…..it has a Demon sealed within it."

Sakura watched as Tsunade's eyes went wide and her mouth opened a bit.

"How do you….."

"I came in contact with her."

"It's a her?"

Sakura could tell it was a lot of information for Tsunade to swallow.

"Tsunade-Sama you need to trust me on this one. I don't know how it happened, but while I was in the past, one night I woke up to having her in my head. She told me how I got there and how I could get home. I even figured out some key information about her."

"And that would be?" Tsunade said as her tone of voice reached the peak of curiosity.

Sakura, at first, wasn't sure if she was able to say this, but after thinking it over, it might make Tsunade not ask so much questions.

"She told me how she was trapped in the scroll. She's the other demon, besides the Kyuubi, that the Akatsuki don't have."

"That's why the Akatsuki was looking for that scroll too." Tsunade said in a whisper. Hoping Sakura wouldn't hear her, but unfortunately she did.

"What?! You knew they were after the scroll?! Why didn't you send a ANBU to get it then?! Instead of me?!"

Tsunade sighed at Sakura's outburst. Thank god Sakura didn't punch a hole in her desk. Sakura did have a raging temper just like herself.

"Sakura. You read the note I sent to the Third right?" Tsunade watched as she nodded her head. "Then you know why I sent you on this mission. You're the only one I could trust enough to not change the future.

Sakura felt herself go light headed. Tsunade didn't know how wrong she was. Sure the change didn't alter major events. But it was a change. Tsunade didn't say anything when she noticed Sakura was a little lightheaded. She figured it was the realization of what happened.

"Sakura, can I have the scroll." Tsunade said as she eyed the scroll sitting on Sakura's lap.

Sakura looked down at the scroll on her lap and stared at it for the longest time.

'_If I give Tsunade-Sama the scroll could I still be in touch with Anri?'_

"**Sakura-Chan don't worry. I'll still be able to communicate with you. Now that a speckle of my chakra is flowing through you, it'll be easier to talk to you. And besides if you carry around the scroll, it will make you even more of a suspect.'**

Sakura mentally nodded and she slowly grabbed the scroll and placed it, gently, into Tsunade's hands. Tsunade smiled at her and tucked the scroll away in her robe.

"Well that's all the questions I have for you at the moment." Tsunade said as Sakura nodded her head and got out of the chair and walked over to the door.

"Oh, before I forget Sakura. I want you in my office, along with Naruto and Kakashi. You three have a mission brief tomorrow morning at 11."

"Hai." Sakura said as she exited the door and closed it behind her.

At the Ramen Bar, everyone was drinking, eating, dancing, and laughing amongst themselves. It seems that Naruto went full out for this welcoming back party.

"Sakura-Chan!" Naruto yelled once he saw his best friend enter the bar.

Sakura smiled brightly at him and shook her head at him. "Naruto, why did you go all out?"

Naruto smiled his fox-like grin at her and winked. "How could I not Sakura-Chan?! We're all happy you're finally back! So come on unwind and enjoy yourself!"

Sakura shook her head towards the silly blonde but none the less she smiled brightly and grabbed a drink. She then took a sip of the drink and made her way to where her girl friends were dancing.

After a couple of dances Sakura decided to take a break and sat at the bar. Watching all her friends dance with each other.

'_If we got them drunk enough they would end up having a huge grinding chain going on!'_

Sakura couldn't help but giggle at her little image. Picturing everyone dancing like that was quite funny.

"What are you giggling at?"

Sakura turned around quickly to see her ex-Sensei sitting right next to her.

"Hey Kakashi!" She said with a smile.

Kakashi watched as she took a sip of her second drink. For some reason, she reminded him so much of a girl that was on his Jonin Team with Itachi, before the two of them moved up to ANBU.

'_Why would Sakura remind me of Pinky? Sure they have the same name, but they have different last names.'_

Sakura could sense Kakashi staring and when she was done drinking, she stared at Kakashi. But he wasn't all there. It seemed like he was in another world.

'_I wonder if he remembers me. Itachi knew who I was right in the beginning, but Naruto doesn't even seem to remember. I expected him to not remember because….well….that's just how Naruto is.'_

While the two of them were in la-la land, they didn't see the beer bottle Naruto threw at Kiba, that he dodged, and was know on it's way towards Sakura and Kakashi.

Before anyone knew what happened, Sakura was covered in beer. Everyone heard the glass shattering against the bar, but when they all looked at who it hit, their faces paled.

Kakashi snapped out of his thoughts to see a drenched and a really pissed off Sakura. Sakura's hands clenched tightly together and she turned, very slowly, towards the direction of where the beer bottle came from.

"Who threw that." She hissed out, as her jaw tightened in frustration.

Kiba immediately pointed an accusing finger in Naruto's direction. Naruto's eyes went wide and people could see the skull and cross bones that appeared in his eyes. He could of sworn he saw his life flash right before his eyes.

"Now Sakura-Chan, it wasn't intentionally for you…." Naruto said as he rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled uncomfortably at her.

"INTENTIONALLY?! WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU THROW IT IN THE FIRST PLACE?!" Sakura couldn't hold back anymore and before Naruto knew it, he was punched right upside the head.

Kakashi watched the exchange with widened eyes. _'No….she couldn't……then again…..there is only one way to find out.'_

After Sakura was done extinguishing her anger out on Naruto, she returned back to her seat.

Kakashi turned towards her after the commotion died down and sighed.

"Jeez Pinky, I think you were just a little over the top with Naruto over there… yeah sure he's a klutz but still…"

And that was all the conformation that Kakashi needed. He watched as Sakura's fists tightened once again.

"What did you call me Kakashi." She grunted out.

Kakashi smirked towards his student. "I said Pinky…."

Sakura turned sharply towards him and glared ten-fold at him. But when she saw that he was smirking her, her anger went away and she sat there, puzzled.

"Why are you smiling?"

She watched as he pulled her from her seat and they made their way outside, so that way no flying beers could interrupt their conversation.

Kakashi lead Sakura around the front of the restaurant and stared at her with stern eyes.

"Sakura. How is it you are in my memories when I was a Jonin? Your age now doesn't fit you being 13 back when I was Jonin."

Sakura gulped, she had a sneaky feeling he would figure it out sooner or later.

"Kakashi, listen. You can't tell anyone about this ok? Only you and Tsunade-Sama know about this."

She waited for him to nod his head before she continued. "You know how I was gone on that scroll retrieving mission a month and a half ago? That I just came back from? Well when I was on my way back home it transported me back in the past. I tried to not change the past, I truly did, but I just couldn't do it."

Kakashi stared at his student with a softened glaze. "Sakura don't worry. You didn't change the future. You just changed a selected number of people's memories."

Sakura nodded her head, but didn't meet his glaze, she was too ashamed with herself.

"Yeah I guess…."

Kakashi placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and sighed. "That means you know a few secrets huh?"

Sakura nodded her head again. But this time Kakashi could see her mood coming back to her.

"Yes." And he watched as a smirk started to form on her face. "I never knew that THE copy-cat ninja was terrified of spiders."

Sakura shot her head up and smirked towards him. Kakashi could see her emerald eyes sparkling with mischief.

"I'm not terrified of them, I just find them un-wanting." He said trying to defend himself.

"That's a load of shit. And you know it." Sakura said while she giggled softly.

Kakashi shook his head at his student. "Sure Pinky. What ever you say."

Sakura punching him lightly on his shoulder. That was going to be a start of a new relationship for her and Kakashi. Sakura had a sneaky feeling that it would turn into a sister-brother relationship, just like her's and Naruto's.

"Hey Sakura-Chan! Kakashi-Sensei! Come on! You're missing the party!" Naruto shouted out loud.

"Ok Naruto! One second!" Sakura shouted as she turned around and walked inside. Kakashi following behind.

'_Sakura, if I can remember you from the past, that means Itachi and everyone else will too. And if I remember right, Itachi had a crush on you. If the Uchiha still remembers that, then that means I will have to keep you away from him. Who knows what he would try to do with you.'_

Sakura didn't notice the change in mood Kakashi suddenly had, and continued into the party.

After a few more hours, everyone left the restaurant and made their way home. Sakura unlocked her apartment and looked all around. She was so tired that all she did was lock the door and slip into her covers. Finally she was home. The place where she belonged.

The next day, Sakura woke up to a bright sunny light filtering through her curtains. She pilled out of her bed and got ready for the day.

After she called Naruto and Kakashi to remind them about their briefing in the Hokage's office, she decided to walk around the village until 11.

'_It's amazing how much Kohana has changed. It's amazing how fast technology can advance in a city in only six or seven years.'_

As Sakura passed the park, she decided to venture in and sit in one of the Cherry Blossom trees that were on top of a small hill.

'_I wonder what Anri has to train me in. I mean what could there possibly be that I need to learn?'_

Before Sakura could elaborate anymore on the subject she looked down at her watch, which read 10:50 A.M.

With one leap out of the tree Sakura made her way towards the Hokage's office. As she walked into the office, she saw that she was the first one there.

Tsunade smiled at her apprentice and sighed. "So I'm guessing Kakashi is going to be coming around 1 instead of 11." She said as more of a statement than a question.

Sakura shook her head. "No, he'll show up on time."

Tsunade looked at Sakura with confusion. But before Sakura could tell Tsunade why he would be on time, Naruto came running through the door.

"Sorry Baa-Chan! I lost track of time! I'm sorry!" Naruto said as he hoped Tsunade wouldn't beat him.

Tsunade didn't pay any attention to him. "What do you mean he won't be late?"

Sakura smiled at her Sensei. "If you tell Kakashi that the meeting starts two hours earlier than normal, than he'll show up on the right time instead of two hours later."

Tsunade smiled at Sakura, as did Naruto. "But Sakura, I don't think you can do that more than once. Kakashi is a smart cookie. He'll figure it out the first time it happens."

Before Sakura could say anything they saw a cloud of smoke pop in the room, which revealed Kakashi.

"Glad you could make it on time for once Kakashi." Tsunade said with a smirk.

Kakashi looked at the Hokage with a curious glaze. "What do you mean Hokage-Sama? Sakura told me the meeting started at 9."

Kakashi turned to see Sakura and Naruto chuckling at him. That's when he picked up on Sakura's little trick she played on him.

He just rolled his eyes and sat down in the chair. Hoping to get on with the briefing so he could continue reading his book.

"Ok. Now that everyone is here, let's get started."

Tsunade sat down in her chair and placed her elbows on her desk, as she folded her hands together and rested her chin down on them.

"You three are going on a mission. This mission in a B-Rank. I'm sure two Jonin and one ex-ANBU can handle this situation."

Tsunade scanned her amber eyes around the room to make sure she had each and every one of their attention.

"What's the mission Baa-Chan?"

Tsunade smiled. "This mission will take place in a club. But not just any club, you are familiar with a club called The Lunar Eclipse?"

"It's only the best club in the world! They have the best music and drinks and don't forget about all the action that happens down there!" Naruto yelled out in happiness.

Tsunade nodded her head. "Ok…..You see the owner of the club has been losing some of his staff members. Ranging from dj's to bouncers. He doesn't know who or why they could be doing this. Especially since the people that are disappearing have nothing in common."

"So you want us to go behind the scenes and find anyone who is suspicious looking?" Kakashi asked.

Tsunade nodded. "Something like that. Two of you are going to act as employers and if you see anyone that would seem suspicious you will question them. The other one will be the person that dances at the club. Kakashi, you're going to play as a bar tender. Naruto, you're going to play a Dj. And Sakura, you're going to be one of the dancers out on the floor, you'll be the only one that isn't an employee. This will give you three access to behind the scenes and anything on happening on the street."

Sakura and Kakashi nodded their head and Naruto couldn't hold in his excitement.

"Yes! Finally an interesting mission! Wait till everyone hears that I get to work at the best Night Club for a month! And even play some music there! WOOT!"

Sakura giggled at Naruto's explosion of emotion and Kakashi smiled. It had been a long time since the three of them have worked together as a team.

"When are we leaving?" Kakashi asked.

"Be ready by five. Since the club is in Lighting, it will take a while to get there…..Sakura you might want to change your hair color."

"What?! Why?" Sakura said as she grabbed her pink locks and held them tightly to her head. Afraid to loose her precious, unique hair color.

"If you don't want to draw attention to yourself, dye it. There will be ninja there, and your hair color is a dead give away of who you are."

"Aw man." Sakura said as she crossed her arms in despair.

"Now get out of my office. You will have a month to work on this. Now get out!"

Not wanting to feel the Hokage's wrath, they ran out of the room and got ready for their mission.

When Sakura entered her home with a black hair dye in her hand, she groaned out loud and made her way towards her bathroom.

She opened the box and held the bottle out in front of her.

'_Why am I the one that has to dye my hair? How much more sexist can you get Tsunade-Sama?! Oh well…..maybe I can keep some pink. I could make it look like I have pink high lights! Yeah that's a good idea!'_

And with a design set in her head, Sakura got to work. After two hours of working on her hair, she was finally done. When she looked at herself in the mirror she had to admit it looked pretty damn good.

'_Perfect! I don't look….too fake.'_

She then dyed her eye brows to match her hair. After brushing her hands through her black hair with pink high lights, she packed her bag and made her way towards the gates.

'_I just got back and she's sending me on another mission?! What the hell. But I guess I shouldn't be complaining. I mean at least I'm with Naruto and Kakashi. This sounds like a fun mission anyways. Plus I haven't been on a mission with them in forever.'_

With one last look around her apartment, she took the key and locked her door. She took a deep breath and made her way towards where Naruto and Kakashi would be meeting her.

She had a feeling this mission was holding a lot of surprises for her and her team. She just couldn't wait to start the mission. It was going to be full of action and everything.

'_I just hope nothing goes wrong. How much would that suck?"_

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_**Author's Note: **_**Just a FYI E.T.A. means estimated Time of Arrival, just for those that didn't know.****I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! I tried to make it longer because of the guilt I felt for not touching this story in a while. I just had so much going on with school. BUT IT WILL BE OVER SOON! AND THAT MEANS I'LL BE ABLE TO UPDATE FASTER! At least I hope so. :) **

**HOPE YOU ALL LIKED IT! EVEN AFTER MY LONG ABSANCE! **


	14. Chapter 14

Authors Note: Hey there everyone…this would be my 5th story

_**Author's Notes: **_ Thank you all for your support while I write this story! I'm so happy that you all love it and I hope I continue to keep your attention on the story! :) Hope you all enjoy this very…interesting chapter I have pulled out!

Enjoy everyone!

:)

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It was dark, so dark that it would be deemed impossible to see anything about five feet in front of you.

In this darkness stood five men. All dressed in black. In front of them was a glowing light. This glowing light was a hallow gram of their Leader or "Master".

"Did any of you find him yet." Said the hallow gram in a strained tone.

The five men could see their Leader's eyes dart back and forth between them. Not one of them dare spoke until they knew it as the right time to open their mouths.

"Well." The Leader blankly stated. Truly becoming impatient with the members.

Zetsu was the first one to speak up. "Leader-Sama, it is hard to find the person…."

Zetsu knew he said the wrong thing by the way the leader shot him a glare.

"I don't care how hard it is. You all are S-Ranked Ninja. How hard is it to find one simple person?" The Leader said with a hint of agitation in his voice.

The hallow gram watched as everyone nodded their heads in comprehension.

"Good. Now all of you get back to your mission." And just like that, the hallow gram's light disappeared to God knows where.

Once the five men knew that the hallow gram was gone they turned on the lights.

Once the lights came on, the five members were making their way to sit on the floor.

"God, you'd think that someone shoved a fucking monkey up his ass." Hidan said while glaring at where the Leader just came from.

"Watch your mouth Hidan. You know the boss has ears everywhere." Zetsu said, as his eyes darted around the room, looking for microphones planted in the walls.

"Stop being a paranoid freak Zetsu, hmmm." Deidara said as he patted him on the back.

"Where can we find this man?! It's bad enough we have no idea what we are looking for." Kisame mumbled.

Zetsu, Hidan, and Deidara turned their heads towards Kisame. "Oh come on fish-face. How hard is it to find a fucking person who can calm down fucking demons?"

Zetsu and Deidara shook their heads at Hidan. "Apparently very hard." Zetsu said.

"Yeah, we can't even seem to get a lead to where the guy is, hmmm."

Itachi sat in the back, half watching his teammates. _'The person we're looking for isn't the description that comes to mind….huh Sakura? I would of never guessed that you would be the one we are looking for. But it all makes sense now. The scroll taking you into a unconscious state, then those secret meetings with the Third, and you all of a sudden vanishing from the hospital. It all makes sense now.'_

Itachi's thoughts were interrupted when he felt three chakra signatures coming their way. Itachi looked to see everyone else stiffening at the anticipation.

"Hide in the trees and don't give away that we are here." Itachi said as everyone teleported themselves on top of trees and concealed themselves.

Next to the Leader and his little side-kick, Konan, Itachi was the Leader within the group of criminals. Everyone looked to him for orders and answers. Wither they liked it or not Itachi was their superior.

'_So you came to us instead of us coming to you.' _Itachi thought as he crouched low in the tree, Sharingan activated. He searched the trees to make sure his teammates didn't leave their spots.

Everyone looked towards the moving bush to the north of where they were located.

Tension was sensed in the air as the five members waited, with tightened muscles, for the intruders to reveal themselves.

"Ah you're kidding me!" Naruto yelled as he jumped out of the bush. He swore to God that this was the right way to Lightning.

The five members eyes went wide. Right in front of them was the Jinchuriki himself. He came right to them. Hidan wanted to attack the demon but saw the stare Itachi shot him. He wasn't afraid of much, but an angry Uchiha was something only a fool wouldn't be afraid of.

"Naruto you should have had Sakura read the map before we left that village." Kakashi said as he entered through the bush Naruto just came out of.

Naruto turned around and shook his head. "No Kakashi-Sensei! I know where we are…..we just took a wrong turn." He said as he turned around the forest in a circle trying to look for a way out.

Kakashi shook his head towards his ex-student. No matter how old he was, he still possessed that little kid spirit in him, and he never did stop calling him Sensei even though they were equals now.

"Oh really Naruto…" Kakashi said under his breath.

"Hey where's Sakura-Chan?" Naruto asked as he turned his head towards the bush they just ran through.

Kakashi turned in the same direction and noticed that she wasn't behind them.

"Do you think we went to fast?" Kakashi said with a little teasing-ness in his question. Knowing full well where Sakura was.

Meanwhile, Deidara, Zetsu, Hidan, and Kisame were trying their best not to reveal their hiding spots. Even with the Jinchuriki right in front of them, it wasn't worth having their base being discovered.

Itachi, on the other hand, was scanning the area for Sakura. He was curious as to why they were here and how they managed to get past the Genjutsu he put up to conceal this side of the forest.

Before Kakashi or Naruto knew what hit them, Sakura came flying down at them, with a surprise behind her back.

"What did you say Kakashi?" Sakura said with a threatening edge to her voice.

Naruto looked at Sakura with a sign of relief. "Sakura-Chan! Where did you come from?" He asked a little confused as to how she got in front of them.

Sakura smiled sweetly at Naruto. "I wanted to check up on how far this Genjutsu wall went. It seems very short though. I wonder why…"

Itachi felt his feelings grow up his spine at the sight of her. But his eyes narrowed at her hair. It was black with pink highlights. She must be going on a mission or she had one of those spontaneous moments. Either way he didn't like it. He loved her hair, her original, unique hair.

Realization hit him, he was letting his feelings corrupt his mind…again! His eyes narrowed even more at the realization and he locked away those thoughts.

"Hey what's in your hand Sakura-Chan?" Naruto asked.

Sakura stopped her rumbling and stared at her blonde friend, as he looked at her hand.

"Oh this?" She held up her fist to his face, making Naruto nod his head and Kakashi come closer to see what it was that was in her hand. "It's just…..a spider." She said as she opened her hand and smirked.

Naruto was a little confused as to why she had a spider in her hand. But Sakura's attention was mainly on Kakashi. He tried so hard to keep his pale face from becoming any whiter, but Sakura was a medic. Nothing escaped her eagle eyes.

She could see the way his pulse was quickening, the way he was sweating, and the way he was feeling very nervous around the harmless animal. But all these hidden attributes wouldn't be noticeable to the untrained eye.

"Ok enough with the spider Sakura-Chan. We need to get to Lightning Country and fast! Who knows how much longer until someone decides to kill another one at Lunar Eclipse." Naruto said in a mature manner, as he picked up the spider and threw it back into the forest.

Sakura pouted, understanding that her fun was over, much to Kakashi's appreciation.

"Naruto is right Sakura. We need to get there as soon as possible."

Sakura could see the excitement radiating off her teammates. She was excited to, but come on, next to their "cover-up" she felt un-important.

"Well I would be as happy as a clam if I was a Dj or a Bartender at the club too."

Kakashi flashed her a smile and Naruto shook his head at her. "Oh come on Sakura-Chan. You get to dance around with everyone! Then you even get to witness all the street fights!"

Itachi felt his Sharingan starting to spin in irritation. He blocked the flow of chakra to his eyes, making the spinning rotation of the notches in his eyes stop, but that didn't stop the sense of jealousy flashing through his veins. Sakura was his, she wasn't allowed to go on some mission and dance with all the horny men.

He imagined her small, but curvy figure, rubbing up against some rugged male. The male would be grabbing her in places only he was allowed to touch. He didn't like how Sakura was going to be tainted by other men and how she would just be a toy to them.

He was going to find her and keep her away from them. By now his emotions were growing wild in him. No matter what, he just couldn't keep them down. Just the thought of Sakura dancing in the club, with the flashing lights, drunken men, and blaring music made his blood boil.

"You calling me a Slut?" Sakura said as her mood darkened and her blood lust revealed itself.

Naruto felt the growing lump in his throat and swallowed it down. Before he knew it Sakura was chasing him through the way out of the forest.

Itachi was so wrapped up in his flare of emotions that he didn't see them leave the sight and make their way to their mission. He growled in the back of his throat. Angry with himself for letting his emotions get in the way. Before he jumped down from the tree, he locked the emotions back up.

"Well that was unexpected, hmm. The container came right to us, hmm."

"But he left just as fast as he came." Zetsu said quietly.

Kisame nodded his head. "If his teammates didn't show up we could of captured him." Deidara nodded his head in agreement.

Hidan was walking around the place where they just were. His eyes were dark and his mind was spinning around like crazy.

"Who was the girl?" He asked.

Everyone turned their heads towards his direction and shook their heads.

"I think it was the Hokage's apprentice. Rumor has it that she can kill someone with one punch." Zetsu said. He was the master of gossip thanks to his special skill that allows him to merge with any object.

Hidan nodded his head. He had heard of her before. They said she was one of the best medics of their time and with a few more years she **would** be the best.

"She is one hott piece of ass." He said out-loud to no one in particular.

"Don't get any ideas." Itachi said. It took all his power within him to not kill the fellow member right in front of him.

Hidan turned and stared at the Uchiha. _'If you weren't who you are I would question your motives.'_

"Now that, that is over. Let's get back to work." Kisame said. Not wanting to hear their Boss yell at them, again.

Deidara and Zetsu poofed away without a world. Deidara went to get Tobi and search more on the mystery "man" while Zetsu went off to scout out for any information he could find about the same person.

Leaving Hidan, Kisame, and Itachi left.

Hidan grunted out loud and shoulder bumped the Uchiha as he walked past him. He was immortal, so he could never die, which made him a little cocky.

"I don't know who you think you are Uchiha, but I'll do what ever the hell I damn well please. And no fucking pretty ass like you can change that."

Kisame stood there with a wide-opened mouth. No one dared insulted Itachi. Kisame looked to see Itachi's reaction, and just as expected, he gave none. Sometimes he wondered if his partner ever had emotions at all.

Itachi didn't do anything to Hidan, he was a waist of time and he had bigger things to attend to.

"Kisame. Let's go." Itachi said as him and Kisame ran away from their base. Leaving Hidan behind.

Kisame followed his partner having no clue where they where going. This mission was like finding a needle in a hay stack. Well at least to him it seemed like it.

"To where?" Kisame asked cautiously.

Itachi didn't skip a beat, he pushed his pace up a little faster so they were at a consistent jog.

"Lightning Country." Was all he said.

Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura were running at lightning speed. They wanted to get to the Club before opening time. Thanks to Naruto's little slip up in reading directions they arrived a little later than expected.

They ran straight through the opening to the city and continued to run towards the club. As they entered the district of the club they could see that it was in the run-down part of town. But that didn't mean the club wasn't run down. It stuck out like a sore thumb next to the decaying houses.

"Wow, didn't expect it be in this part of Lightning." Sakura said to he teammates.

"Yeah, I thought it was in the more trendy part of town." Naruto said. "But it still is the best club!" His energy was coming back to him.

Kakashi shook his head. "Clubs in the bad part of town normally means more interesting customers and more suspects to go through."

"Hai." Naruto and Sakura said as they entered the well furnished club.

The club was enormous. With the huge dance floor made of glass, and the state-of-the-art Dj system and speakers, where could you go wrong?

Not wasting any time, the three of them made their way towards the manager's office.

"Ah! You must be the Kohana Nin's I asked for." the manager said with a smile.

Team Seven nodded their head towards the manager. "Yes we are." They all said with a bow.

The Manager of the Trendy club got up from the chair and bowed right back at them.

"Excellent! My name is Sara and I'm the Manager of this Club."

Naruto looked at the woman with widened eyes. "You mean….the Manager of the Club is a woman?!"

Sakura and Sara glared long and hard at Naruto. "Yeah, you have a problem with that Naruto?" Sakura said raising a questionable tone in the back of her throat.

They all watched as Naruto gulped and swallowed the lump in his throat, for the second time that day. "No! not at all! I was just…..surprised."

Kakashi nodded his head. "Yes. It's very rare to have a woman in charge of Clubs, since it is known that all incidents while owning a club are anything but glamourous."

Sara nodded her head. "Well , I can understand what you mean, but let me tell you…" She let her black eyes dart between each and every one of the ninjas. "I'm no push-over."

Everyone nodded their head to Sara and they saw her facial expression go from cold as stone to bright and happy. Causing Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura to develop the biggest sweat drop in the back of their heads.

"Come on. I'll show you around. It's vital that you all know where everything is, I want this job done right."

The tall woman got up, making her red hair swing in the way of her hips. To say that she was striking was an understatement. Her long, lean legs accented with high heels made them seem endless. Her bust was big enough to make men jump off their seats and demand a peak.

Team Seven followed the red-head out to the dance club. First she lead them to where the Dj's were set up.

"Here is where you'll be Blondie." She stepped aside from the state of the art mixing device to let Naruto take a look. "You see this is all you need to do what you do best. All around the club are high voltage speakers. On the walls and on the floor. So feel free to turn it up as loud as it goes."

Naruto couldn't help but jump for joy. He ran his hands along the equipment. Sakura and Kakashi could see the growing fox smile start to creep up on his face.

Sara chuckled lightly at his expression. "Yes, ain't she a beauty? But that isn't even the best part, on the left of you is a lever….pull it."

Naruto, at first, was hesitant to touch the lever, but after seeing her black eyes egg him on he pulled it down. And just like that the platform went flying up about seven feet. Presenting more dance floor space and gave Naruto a easier way to see the whole club.

"Awesome!" He shouted eagerly. _'I have more of a way to see people who enter and leave the club. Not to mention I can see any brawls that happen.'_

Sara smiled towards the astonished man. "Yes, every Dj that comes here delivers that kind of reaction when they see what this baby can do." Sara took the handle and the platform returned to its original spot.

"Now as you can see, all around you are exits. But they lead to other places besides the outside. The two exits with the brighter red than the others, are the ones that lead outside. But the ones with a dull red are rooms for the security, employers, and a special treat for the customers."

"What's the special treat?" Sakura asked as she studied all the exits.

"Oh, it's just a room that opens up for contests when we have them."

"How often do you have these contests and what are they?" Kakashi asked.

"The contests are held spontaneously. And they range from costumes to random competitions that the customers asked for. But they have to go through me first, of course."

They walked to the other side of the club, and saw a huge bar that went from the edge of a corner and went along the wall. It could hold about 200 people sitting on the barstools. The bar had mahogany wooden shelves that held all the liquor anyone could ask for. On the bottom shelves, it possessed all the ice for the drinks and anything else that was needed.

Kakashi's eyes went wide. He's never seen a bar this big. _'It's like a alcoholic's dream! How can she afford all this liquor and equipment. I know the club is popular….but just how popular?'_

Sara turned around and smiled towards Kakashi. "As for you tall, dark, and handsome. Here is where you'll be living for a month. This bar has every type of liquor imaginable. If you don't know where something is ask one of the boys. They'll help you. Underneath the railing of the bar, there are three buttons. A green, blue, and red one. The red one is to call security if one customer gives you trouble, the blue and green ones are there to turn on the lights to attract customers."

Kakashi watched her as she pressed the blue and green buttons and sure enough the a disco ball, strobe-lights, and blinking light bulbs popped out from the bar.

"Very nice." Was all Kakashi could say. _'I also am right near the two doors that people enter from. Perfect.'_

Sara then turned her attention to Sakura. "And as for you sweetie, the dance floor is your home."

Sakura's emerald eyes darted around the whole club house. The floor, that she noticed earlier, was made of glass. But it looked like the glass wasn't something that could break easily.

'_Well obviously not. You know how many people probably jump up and down on this floor?'_

"The floor changes colors along with the music from the Dj. There are couches on the side, where the bar is, as a way to catch your breath after to much dancing. Sometimes the technicians bring out more lights, that is, if I'm in a good mood."

Sakura nodded her head. She knew she needed to be able to inspect each and every room. That way she can plan where to send her "subjects" to "interrogation".

"Are the contest rooms opened even when there are no contests?" she said. Plans forming in her mind already.

"No. they are locked unless a contest is going on….Oh! I almost forgot!" Sakura could see the way the thirty-year old woman jumped up in realization. "There are bathrooms down that hallway. But I've never seen people go there to actually use them. It's more of a make-out room than anything."

Team Seven nodded their heads. "Miss. Sara, do you mind if we talk for a few until the club opens?"

Sara nodded her head towards Kakashi. "Sure. But just to let you know, Blondie and you are going to be staying in the rooms that I set up for my employees. Since I don't want to loose anymore employees you two will share a room. Just like everyone else. You can make out a time for your little lady friend to meet with you, and tell me when. That way I can distract your co-workers. None of them are allowed to know that Ninja are here and you two can't make it seem like you know Green eyes over here." Sara said pointing her freshly manicured nails towards Sakura's direction.

The three watched as Sara walked down the hall and shut her office door behind her. They then made their way to a couch and started to talk strategy.

"Ok, since you're going to be up in the air Naruto, you'll be able to see who enters and leaves the Club." Kakashi said.

"Hai, and I can also see if there are any struggles on the dance floor."

"What about you Kakashi?" Sakura said.

"I'll be working the drinks. Which means I can drug any guy that I need you to question. And if I need to, not give you as much alcohol as necessary, to keep you sober."

Sakura nearly groaned. "So I'm going to be the main person to question the people?"

"Sakura-Chan don't worry, you've done a few missions like this before." Naruto said with a twitch.

They all remembered when Sakura had her first mission using her body as a weapon to extract information. To everyone's surprise she was good at it, they thought that the quiet, introverted Sakura would interfere with this line of work. But it seems that with all the reading Sakura did, she figured out a few things or two.

"Yeah I know….How are you two going to relay a signal to me?"

"Naruto and I will pick one of the lights from the bar that we will only press if we see someone suspicious."

"But if you keep pressing the lights how do you think the bartenders will re-act to that one?" Sakura asked.

"Sakura-Chan, you're in a Club, Kakashi-Sensei could say that he was going in the beat of the music."

Sakura was surprised at Naruto's theory, but she smiled sweetly at him. He has grown so much since she last went on a mission with him.

"But how are we going to meet up? She said we can't associate ourselves with Sakura-Chan…."

"Naruto, you two are going to be in one room together right? I doubt she'll have you two be in two separate rooms. And about two hours after the club is closed I'll come over and we'll exchange information I got. That way we can split up the research."

Kakashi and Naruto nodded their heads towards Sakura. "Good idea." Kakashi said.

Before they could elaborate any more about their plans Sara came out from her office and announced that the club would be opening in about an hour.

"You two better get in costume. I'm opening the club in an hour. Hurry up." she said in a Boss-like tone.

Naruto and Kakashi turned to Sakura and they exchanged glances. Sakura waited until she couldn't see her teammates or Sara anymore.

"Miss I'm sorry but you'll have to leave." Said one of the security guards.

"Oh. Yes. Sorry." Sakura said as she was escorted out of the club.

After the security guard literally threw her out of the club, she went into the closest city to the Club.

'_I need to find a outfit for clubbing and a place to stay. I don't know how bad it'll be during the night. Let's hope we can figure out this little mystery.'_

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**Author's Notes: Hope you all liked it! I tried to add some twists and turns in there. I hope I didn't make Itachi, Sakura, Kakashi and Naruto OOC.**

**PLEASE REVIEW! AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT IT! **


	15. Chapter 15

_**Author's Notes: **_Hey there everyone! You miss me? Sorry for the delay for posting, finals just ended and during finals all you do is study, study, and you guessed it study. So to make up for my absence, I'm giving you all as long as a chapter as I can! :) Hope you all will enjoy it!

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After getting kicked out of the club, Sakura went into town looking for a few outfits for her nightly excursions. She needed something eye-catching but not completely trashy.

'_Oh come on. How hard is it to find clubbing outfits?! I've been to four stores already and still haven't found anything! And I still need to find a hotel before I go to the club.'_

To say that Sakura was low on patience was an understatement. She was so close to grabbing anything she could find and turning it into whatever. That is….until this one store caught her eye.

The shop was a small boutique with a dark red sign that read "Lamé". The letters were in black outlined in white. Sakura ran across the street and peeked in the window. The whole entire store was filled with clothes.

'_This is the last store I'm going in until I look for an apartment. Then I'll continue my hunt after that.'_

Taking a deep breath in, as a way to clear her stress and hectic mind, she grasped the silver door handle and pushed it forward. As she stepped inside the store she was greeted by a worker.

"Hello and welcome to Lamé. If you have any questions please don't be hesitant and ask one of us." Said the cheery brunette, with a bright smile.

Sakura nodded her head and looked all around the store. It was exactly what she was looking for.

'_Finally! A store with what I need!'_

Sakura ran through the store, grabbing anything that would look cute or an eye catcher. She even had a few workers help her find some outfits.

Taking the arm load of cloths Sakura and two store workers walked to the dressing room.

"Miss, where exactly are you going with all these outfits?" Asked the red-head.

You could hear the zippers coming un-done and cloths coming off from inside the dressing room.

"Oh I'm just looking for a few. You see my friends like to steal my outfits whenever we go out and now I have none left."

Sakura came out of the dressing room in an all-white mini-dress. The mini-dress went up to her mid-thigh and clung right against her leg. The top half of it had a deep low cut and the straps were accented with silver rings.

The red-head and the brunette, that greeted Sakura at the door, both studied the dress on her.

"Put on the white wrap around high heels." Said the brunette.

Sakura nodded her head and put them on her petite feet. She then walked over to the three-way mirror and twirled around, trying to get a good look of the dress.

"Eh….I don't know. White seems too…..boring for you." Said the read-head.

The brunette disagreed. "Actually it depends which club you are going to. Which on are you going to?"

Sakura turned her attention to them and smiled. "The Lunar Eclipse."

Sakura watched their faces drop to the floor. "No way! How'd you get in?!" The Brunette said.

Sakura looked at them with a puzzled expression. _'What are they talking about?'_

"What? You have to pass a test or something to get in?" Sakura asked.

"The Lunar Eclipse is a hard club to get into. Sure just about anyone can stand in line for the club but that takes forever. You would either have to get in line two hours before the club even opens or you make friends with the Bouncer."

Sakura nodded her head towards the red-head. She would have to keep that foot-note and tell the guys later.

"Anyways! It doesn't matter how she got in. All that matters is that we make her the sexiest one there! Then you can tell everyone where you got it."

Sakura smiled at the girls. "Ok, I'll hold you to it girls." Sakura said.

"Since you're going to the Lunar Eclipse, that outfit definitely won't do. Sure it reveals, but we need color as well."

And with that Sakura was banished back into the dressing room to try on millions of clothing. It took her at least an hour until she came out in a sexy outfit.

Sakura's two helpers stopped in their tracks. Their mouths dropped to the floor and they couldn't help but have smirks on their faces.

"Perfect!" They both said.

Sakura looked in the three way mirror and couldn't help but agree with them. On her was teal colored lace up halter top with a mini skirt. But this mini skirt would come around Sakura's hips and the strings from both ends would weave down about a half an inch and then tie together. To complete the ultra sexy look, Sakura accented her outfit off with four inch silver high heels. Her tiny feet made the shoes even cuter.

She twirled around just a couple more times before she was satisfied with the outfit. Retreating back into the dressing room Sakura folded the outfit and picked another outfit from the bunch.

'_Even though this place has awesome clothes I can't buy more than two outfits. Otherwise they will get suspicious. That means I'll have to find a few more stores…but after I buy these I need to find a hotel room.'_

When the clothes rang up on the cash register, Sakura could feel the money slipping away from her. These cloths looked expensive and sure enough she was right.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she bought the clothes anyways and exited the store with two bright red bags and a lighter wallet.

Looking at the sun she could tell it was getting close to sunset. Cursing under her breath, Sakura jumped up to the roof tops and ran like the wind. It was time to find an apartment, one that was cheap, but close enough to the club. Well….as close as she could get to the club.

It may not have been her first, or even her safest choice for a hotel area, but she needed to be right where the action was. And word on the street said that this decaying hotel was right in the middle of it.

Sakura opened up the door, which looked like it was about to fall off it hinges, and closed it. The walls had peeling wallpaper, revealing gross color schemes behind the wallpaper. The bathroom had tiles coming off the walls and rust on all the water fixtures.

The only clean thing, at least she hoped was clean, was the bed. But Sakura didn't want to chance it. So she stripped the bed and saw tons of stains on the sheets.

'_Ew! This is nasty! I'm taking these sheets to the laundry mat later. There is no way I am sleeping on this thing called a bed.'_

Sakura threw the blankets and sheets on the floor and examined the pillows. Which looked clean, but she wasn't about to take any chances.

Looking at the digital clock on the night stand, it read 9:00. Sakura looked out to the window and opened it up. Resulting in the screen falling out.

"Oopies….." Sakura said as she watched it fall to the ground. But it seemed like no one really noticed that she broke it. Shaking her head she noticed the long line outside the club.

'_Good God. The girls were right, the line is HUGE!'_

Sakura didn't waist any time and grabbed one of the red bags off the ground, ran in to the bathroom, and got dressed into the outfit she tried on earlier in the dressing room.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Sakura threw her clothes on the floor, not allowing herself to let anything touch the bed, and gingerly slipped on her silver four inch high heels.

'_It's show time. Wait till Kakashi and Naruto see this! Ha!'_

Sakura couldn't help but laugh at the image of their faces seeing her in such revealing clothes. She grabbed the V.I.P. pass the manager gave her and placed it in her silver purse.

'_I guess the streets are not as bad as the hotel room. But it's a close tie there.'_

Sakura thought to herself as she exited the hotel building and made her way to the Club. On her way to the Club she heard bottles being smashed and a few men coming out of the dark ally.

"Well look what we got here Lefty." Said one of the men. He had a red bandana wrapped around his head and a few tattoos on his right shoulder. When he smiled you could see a few teeth missing.

The so-called man named Lefty chuckled at Sakura and eyed her like a piece of meat. He had all his teeth, but were stained a dark yellow.

'_No doubt from smoking or drinking.' _Sakura diagnosed.

"You're right Smitty; we got ourselves a hott one over here."

Sakura held back her growl of annoyance. "What do you want?" She said coldly.

'_I'm not in the mood to handle thugs."_

"Oh nothing cutie….just want to know where someone as hott as you is heading off in an outfit like that." Smitty said as he advanced towards Sakura.

Sakura could feel her anger rising and a fist forming but she held it down.

"I'm going to The Lunar Eclipse." Sakura said flatly. She figured out, while on her way to finding a hotel room, that some people hated the Club while others would envy the people who could get in.

"That filthy Club? Looks like we lost another one Lefty."

"I guess so. Come on Lefty lets go."

Sakura studied the way the two left her and remembered the names of them. They could come in handy later.

When Sakura turned around she saw the line of people. She felt a little cruel cutting all these people who probably have been waiting for hours to get in, but she had a job to do.

Walking around the line of people, Sakura could sense many glares coming from the impatient people. Sakura felt her pace quickening just a bit from feeling very uncomfortable, thanks to the glares.

At the front of the line was a very big, broad man who presented himself as a scary and very strong man. His hair was spiky black and his black eyes seemed almost cold.

"Sorry Miss. I can't let you through." He said in a low, dangerous tone.

Sakura smiled at him and flicked her hair to the side. _'Let's see if you really have to know the Bouncer. I bet you all you have to do is flirt with him and you're good.'_

"Oh why can't I get in?" Sakura said in an innocent voice while she flickered her long lashes at him.

He looked at his clip board and asked for her name. "My name is Sayu." Sakura said. She watched as his eyes darted up and down the paper looking for her name.

"Sorry. Get to the back of the line." Sakura was shocked. So the Bouncer didn't let just anyone in.

'_That will make this mission just that much easier.'_

"But what if I have a pass?" Sakura asked before he made her, forcefully, get to the back of the line.

The Bouncer looked at her with narrowed eyes. No one was handed a pass and not on the list unless his Boss knew them.

Sakura saw his eyes narrow and she showed him the pass. It took him a few minutes to make sure it wasn't a fake, and then he let her behind the velvet red rope.

She stepped through the Bouncer and made her way in the Club. When she entered the place it looked even better than it was when it was empty.

The music Naruto was playing was blasting, lights were scanning the room like wild fire, Kakashi and his crew were running around the bar making drinks everywhere.

'_Well at least I don't have to be so hectic like Kakashi, or have to figure out which songs are the right ones to play. All I have to do is dance….and extract information…'_

Sakura thought of the last part with bitterness. She really enjoyed the dancing part, but the fact that she basically had tell a man she'll fuck them in order to get information, was what she disliked. But no-one ever said a Ninja's job was all play.

Making her way towards the bar, Sakura saw a few men eyeing her.

'_I guess those girls were right. I'm not even dancing and I already caught some attention.'_

But how could you not? With the short skirt swaying in the way of her hips and her shoulder-length hair swaying against her revealed back it was hard not to notice. And besides, those four-inch heels added that cherry on top of the Sunday. The heels made her legs seem even more toned than they already were and her legs seemed long.

The silver heels clicked against the floor and her movements were graceful, almost cat-like, as she walked up to the bar and took a seat on a barstool. Crossing her legs enough to make the skirt crawl up, showing some more of her smooth legs.

"Hey what can I get you?" Kakashi said to Sakura. Not really noticing who it was in front of him. His job was so hectic that he was running circles around a small area.

Sakura looked up at the menu over-head and smiled at her ex-Sensei. Wait till he saw her in this outfit.

"I'll have a Blue Sky Martini please." Sakura said.

Kakashi's eyes went wide when he heard her voice; he blinked several times and couldn't swallow how his ex-student looked. She was a knockout.

"Coming right up." He said with a nod, and a hidden smile.

After Kakashi delivered her the drink, Sakura sat at the bar until Kakashi came over again. Drink in hand.

"This is from a guy over there." Kakashi told her with a grunt. She followed his glaze to a tall man with black hair and ice blue eyes.

"Oh?" Sakura said, trying to sound enthusiastic about the whole thing.

Kakashi nodded his head and sent her a watch-out-for-this-guy look.

Sakura smiled the mans way and got off her barstool. Her own drink forgotten and the new drink in hand. It was time to get into character mode.

Her hips swayed as she made her casual walk turn into a cat-walk, a sexy, slow and seductive walk. The ice-blue eyed man watched as her skirt rose as she walked and her bust would move up and down. His buddies patted him on the back as a job well done and left him alone with his catch.

"The bartender said this drink was from you." Sakura said as she lifted the glass up to her mouth and took a sip. Bating her eyelashes at him.

The man nodded his head. "Do you like it?" He said in his own seductive tone.

Sakura flashed him a smile and nodded her head. "So what brings you to a Club like this?"

The man returned his glaze from her chest to her face. "Same as everyone else. To dance." He said as he lowered his head to her ear and placed his hands around her waist.

"Care to join me?"

Sakura forced a light giggle to come out of her throat and placed her drink on the bar.

"Hope you can keep up." Was all she said as she grabbed his hand and they both went running out onto the dance floor.

Kakashi slyly took out a notebook, which was used for writing down orders, and wrote down the description of the man that went with Sakura.

Out on the dance floor, Naruto was having a blast. His music was getting positive feedback and he would pull the lever when ever he felt like it. But he made sure not to pull it constantly. As his mixed music played he looked out around the dance floor.

'_So far there is no one that looks suspicious. Maybe Kakashi-Sensei and Sakura-Chan are having better luck than…..'_

Naruto saw his teammate grinding up against some tall, but built man, on the dance floor. Naruto narrowed his eyes towards the man and made a mental note to question Sakura-Chan about him later, once they had their conference.

It took a few minutes for Sakura to totally forget about who she was dancing with and where his hands were traveling to. She made sure her mind was concentrating on other things. While her dancing partner was having a field day with running his hands on her from the waist down, she was trying to find anyone that looked suspicious.

'_Nothing. Nothing at all. Something tells me that you'll have to look deeper than what appears…..great.'_

She knew what she needed to do. She had to question her dancing partner and get more background on this place. Taking a deep breath, Sakura ran her petite hands down to the mans legs that surrounded her. At first she rested her hands there, waiting to feel his reaction.

His body stiffened at her sudden movement but soon relaxed. She waited for the techno music to get to the apex of the song and worker her magic.

Her hands lightly traced the tops of his legs and she could feel what she was doing to him. Sometimes being a medic was a way to obtain too much information on how people react to you movements.

In her mind she could feel herself smirking at the typical man's reaction. Now was time to kick it up a notch. She leaned her back into his chest, making a little arch, just to play with him a little. She moved her face up towards his cheek and could feel the way his heartbeat quickened.

"Mind if I ask your name?" Sakura asked in a sexy low tone.

"Yukio Satou." He said in a husky tone. "And you?"

"I'm Sayu." Sakura said. Already making a name for herself in this twisted town.

Sakura let the conversation die down right after that, he wasn't all the way rattled….just yet. Naruto's song died down and before the Yukio could move on, Sakura sent Naruto a stare and he immediately played another up beat song, but this song was faster.

Sakura swayed her hips left and right and then all of a sudden she made her whole lower body shake with the music, causing Yukio's attention to return back to her.

"Well, well, well. Didn't think you could move like that." Was all he said as he felt his urges growing.

Sakura felt them too, it was kinda hard not to. "So how did you get into the Club?"

Yukio gulped and his hands scaled Sakura's body even more. "My buddy Tabito Tanaka got us in. He's friends with Eddie."

Sakura figured that Eddie was important, so she played along with it.

"Oh. Do you come here often?"

The music got slower and the lights started to darken. Sakura took this as a time to tease the man into talking more. Her grinding got slower and started to drop lower, she heard him grunting.

"Damn, y-you're good…." Sakura could feel her affects on him. She swayed like she was going to stop, until he grabbed her hips and pulled her into him, trying to pleasure his urges.

The beat of the music went back up and she returned to her up-beat dancing.

"So do you come here often?" She tried again, now that he was getting a little of what he wanted.

"It depends what mood Tabito is in. He brings who ever he wants."

Sakura wasn't enjoying how he would give her little information. But then again, she was giving him a thrill and who would talk through a fun time like this?

The pair danced to a few more songs until another girl cut in and took Sakura's dancing partner away. Which she didn't mind at all.

Not wanting to dance alone, she went back to the bar and sat on a couch. She stretched out her legs on the couch and sat on her side, with her legs curled on to the side of her.

'_This club isn't all that it appears to be. You need to know someone to get it, but that's a given. What's strange is that you can't seduce the Bouncer, like at normal Clubs. How much does Sara pay her employees, that's the golden question. If you're getting paid a fortune to stick to the list, you would stick to the list…..'_

Sakura's thoughts were interrupted by a foreign voice. "Hey mind if I sit here?" Said a man.

Her emerald eyes floated up towards the dirty blonde haired man. She flashed her pearly whites at him and nodded her head. "Sure."

Very slowly, yet gracefully, Sakura moved her legs off the couch and down to the floor.

"Would you like a drink?" The brown eyed man asked.

"Sure."

"What would you like?"

"It doesn't matter."

Sakura watched as he flashed her a shady smile and made his way to the bar.

'_He's different than the other men I have seen at this bar. He tries to create conversations. Granted I've only talked to one person but still….'_

It didn't take him long to get the drink and he returned right back to Sakura's side.

"Here you go." He said as he gently handed the drink to Sakura, who took it ease.

"So you must be new. I haven't seen you around here at all." He said.

Sakura smiled at him. "You're right I am new. My name is Sayu. And you are?"

The man showed her that shady smile again. "Tabito."

'_So this is the guy Yukio was talking about. He's smart enough not to give his lat name out. He also makes it seem like he's been in this type of "business" before.'_

"So how long have you been coming to this club? I've heard so many good things about the place. That's part of the reason why I came here."

Sakura watched the way Tabito studied her. He seemed a lot more on-guard than his friend was.

'_Which means seducing him will be a hell of a lot harder too.'_

He took a sip of his drink and locked his brown eyes with hers. "I've been a customer for a while. Does it matter how I became one?" He asked a little suspicious present in his question.

'_Shit! He's on to me!'_

Sakura sipped the drink and crossed her legs, doing the same trick she did when she first sat on the barstool. Causing his eyes to wander downward. Only for a moment.

"Who said I wanted to know? I just asked if you've been here long." Sakura said in a feisty tone.

Tabito smirked at her attitude. _'Interesting little thing aren't we? Let's see how far I can go until you crack.'_

Sakura watched as his eyes darkened with curiosity. She has seen that look before and it always lead into a sticky situation. He set his drink down on the glass table next to them and came close to Sakura. Making her back up into the arm of the couch.

"Well Sayu, aren't we a little feisty." He said as he lowered his head towards her ear.

His breath was brushing against her ear, and she felt a shiver go up her spine. Not a good sign. She felt him smirk.

Before he could say anything, Sakura decided it was time to go bold.

'_If this guy comes to this Club regularly, that means I'm going to have to strike him with curiosity. And fast.'_

Placing her glass down on the floor, Sakura placed her leg in-between his legs and with one simple sweep they switched places.

"Is being feisty a bad thing?" Sakura asked as she made a little purr at the end of the sentence. It was her turn to advance on him.

"No. Not at all." Tabito said as he watched her movements.

"I suggest you watch who it is you advance on Tabito. You have heard of the saying: The curiosity killed the cat right?" Sakura said in a whisper in his ear.

She could feel some type of reaction out of him, but not much. All she could feel was a slight shiver, but you could classify that more as a twitch than anything.

His face came up close to Sakura's and she could see a few specs of gold in his eyes.

"Well Sayu, I'll assure you, that curiosity won't kill me." He said. The curiosity and interest present in his eyes.

'_Good. I have some interest from him, I just need to push it a little more.'_

Without warning, Sakura pushed herself on him and planted a kiss on his lips. She didn't want him to enjoy the kiss any longer, otherwise she would loose his attention, so she broke it just as fast as it came.

She pulled away and saw that she sparked even more interest in him that she thought.

"See you around Tabito." Sakura said as she got up off the couch and made her way down to the bathroom hall.

Tabito watched as she swayed her hips and couldn't help but feel a growl come from the back of his throat.

'_Looks like I found a real interesting one over here.'_

Once in the bathroom Sakura felt her anger, that she locked away, starting to rise.

'_Ugh! I hate horny men! They think they can do anything with women!'_

Sakura turned around sharply and punched a hole in the wall. When Sara said that no one went in the bathroom she wasn't kidding. And since no one goes in here, Sakura figured she could vent out all her hidden anger throughout this mission in this bathroom.

"How I'm going to be able to survive a month of this is beyond me. Maybe I can make those horny bastards believe women aren't just a toy to play with. And the only way to do that is to play with them back."

Taking a deep breath in and counting to ten, Sakura calmed herself down and got herself back out there.

Throughout the rest of the night Sakura danced with more men, but she could feel Tabito's eyes on her. It seemed like it would never go away. When it was time for the Club to close Sakura grabbed her purse from behind the bar and gave Kakashi a glance. As a way to remind him of their meeting that would happen in two hours.

Once out on the streets, her lungs were filled with fresh air. Well if you even want to call it that. Walking along the streets, Sakura saw a fire coming from a street trash can deeper in a dark alleyway.

'_I wonder….'_

Sakura turned down the dark ally and once she got to the flaming trashcan about ten heads turned her way.

"Look Smitty! She's back!"

Sakura saw the two same guys from earlier that night, but it seemed they got more friends.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here. How was the Club?" Smitty said in a sarcastic tone.

Sakura's eyes narrowed and watched him walk circles around her.

"Why do you hate the club so much?" Sakura asked.

One guy who was a little heavy-set came up to her face and stood there.

"Ever since that shit came into our streets we get all these preppy bitches. Like you!"

Sakura glared at the man and sustained herself from punching him through the wall.

"So you're a gang. And you don't like new people coming in here?"

Smitty nodded his head. "You got that right Missy. Ever since that bitch built that place, all we have gotten is rich snobs that think they can come and think they're better than us."

"And then you wonder why so many fights break out after the Club." Said another guy, who was wearing a red bandana as well.

Before Sakura could dig anymore in the conversation four drunk men, from the club, came over towards the gang members.

"Look what we got here. Gang members and their hoe." Said one drunk man.

Sakura couldn't believe what that guy said about her! She was pissed already, she didn't need someone calling her a whore. She could feel her anger rising and she did nothing to stop it. She needed to punch somebody anyway.

"Hey is she any good?" Asked the other one. The three guys laughed at his joke.

Sakura could see the ten members getting out their knives and anything else they could find.

"You wanna repeat that?" Smitty said with a glint in his eyes.

"I said how's your ho…."

The guy was cut off. Sakura snapped. She couldn't take it anymore. She tightened her right fist and before the drunk man could register what happened he went flying out of the ally. Hitting the street light and causing a dent in it.

Smitty and his crew looked at Sakura with widened eyes. The drunken man's friends looked at Sakura with vengeful eyes.

"You little slut."

The remaining three men surrounded Sakura. Sakura slipped into a defensive position. Waiting for them to attack. One of them came right towards her, and the other two followed suit. Sakura took her right fist and punched one right in the face. Sending him right where his friend was. The other two men drew back and both charged at Sakura. Sakura sighed. She stood up straight, grabbed both of their fists and flung them into the opposite walls, leaving even more big dents.

"Don't call me a slut." Sakura said as her chest heaved up and down from her adrenaline rush. Once she calmed down Sakura turned back towards the gang.

"I can see why you would get in a fight with them."

Smitty stared wide-eyed at her. "You're not like the other snobs and bitches…."

"No. I'm not. And never will be." Sakura said.

Smitty put his knife away and dropped the crow bar on the ground. Having the other members follow his act. He came up towards Sakura and outstretched his hand.

"If you ever get into any trouble Missy just call us." Said one of the members.

Sakura took Smitty's hand and shook it with a firm grip. "Sure thing. And the name is Sayu."

Smitty gave Sakura a smile and nodded his head. "Well Sayu, call on us any time."

After her scrimmage with a gang and punching four drunk men, it was time to meet Naruto and Kakashi in their room.

It took her a few minutes to find their window and once she found it, she picked up a rock and threw it at their window. Kakashi stuck his head out the window and motioned for her to come up.

When she entered their room, Naruto was sitting on the floor, a scroll out and everything. Kakashi sat on the floor as well and Sakura followed.

"Nice outfit Sakura-Chan. Where did you find that?" Naruto said as he eyed her up and down.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted and punched him on his head. Causing a bump on his head to form. "And not like you need to know, but I got it from a store called Lamé."

"I think you gave a few men a nosebleed with that outfit Sakura."

Sakura stuck her tongue out at Kakashi. "Uh huh. But lets get down to business. What did you guys find out over on this end."

"Well the Bouncer Eddie is a nice guy, but he told us he only lets certain people a head of the line. Next to Sara's passes."

Sakura nodded her head. "Yeah, same here. I was in that Lamé store and when I told them where I was going they flipped out."

"It sounds like you need to know the right people to get in without standing in that huge line." Kakashi said.

Sakura and Naruto both nodded their heads.

"Hey Sakura-Chan…who was that guy you were dancing with?"

A light bulb went off in Sakura's head. "His name is Yukio Satou. He is friends with a guy named Tabito Tanaka. From what I could get out of Yukio, Tabito comes to the Club regularly and brings anyone he wants into the club."

"That means we need to do some research on this guy. He sounds like a suspect. And maybe have a special relationship with the Club." Naruto said.

Kakashi nodded. "When he first entered the Club, everyone stopped and greeted him like he was some type of Celebrity. I don't think the man disserves the respect he is given. He treats every worker like dirt."

"I didn't even get to the best part guys….after I finished dancing with Yukio, I went over to sit on the couch and I met the one and only Tabito."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at Sakura. "So he was the one that was sitting on the couch with you."

Sakura could tell the threatening side coming out of Kakashi and when she looked at Naruto she could see the same thing as well.

"He didn't do anything. I just sparked his interest so we can get more information out of him later."

"Watch yourself with him Sakura-Chan. Who knows what a guy like that will do to you."

Kakashi was scribbling everything they said on the scroll. He had a feeling that he was going to need more than one of these with all the information they were getting.

"Also, before I came here I came across a gang. The leader's name was Smitty. They have a grudge on this place. It brings to many rich people in their "territory". But it's not like the clubbers don't antagonize the gang."

Kakashi looked up from his scroll. "The gang is called Cortez. Even though they are small they are well known. Watch out with them. They get new members everyday I hear, and a rising threat to the club, so Sara says."

"Don't worry, we have an agreement or a treaty with them. Well I do. I am not the normal "rich snob" as they so described me."

"Nice Sakura-Chan! They are going to come in handy soon. And that Bouncer Eddie, I wonder how much he is getting paid."

"So you're wondering it too huh?" Kakashi said. Sakura nodded her head to agree with Kakashi.

"I tried to see if he would crack if I flirted with him to get in, before I showed him the pass, which apparently only the boss gives out. So you need to ask Sara how many people she gives those to. Their names aren't placed on the list. Anyways…he didn't crack, he stuck to the rules. That's strange." Sakura said with a finger under her chin, in a thinking position.

"Yeah! I noticed that too. When I was setting up I saw him got out back with Sara for some business talk. I was gonna ease-drop but workers were around. And like Sara said, no one can know we are ninja here."

"While you were talking to Yukio, Sakura, the men around the bar were saying how Sara favorites certain employees. We need that list that she has."

"What list?" Naruto and Sakura asked Kakashi.

"It's a list that says who can receive a pass. We need to figure out who is on it and how they got on it. And I'm afraid Sakura….that's where Tabito comes in."

Sakura could tell he didn't like the idea anymore than she did. "Hai."

"That's enough for tonight. We all need sleep. Tomorrow, me and Naruto will dig up more information about this crazy place and try to find more information from the outside Sakura."

"Hai!" Both Naruto and Sakura said. Sakura got up and teleported out of one hotel room to the next.

With each new information they were finding out, another road block enters their path. Sakura had a funny feeling that as time goes on more interesting things were going to turn up.

'_Just my luck.'_

--

TO

BE

CONTINUED

**Author's Note: Hey there everyone! Is that long or what?! Sorry if the context hit border line teen rated. If it seems more than teen I'm truly sorry. I didn't think it's more than teen, but then again……that's just me. **

**I'm sorry if Sakura seemed….waaayyy out of sakura-like during the club scene. But she's 19! She needs to have that sexy edge when she needs it.**

**And if anyone else was OOC, I'm sorry for that too.**

**Also i feel really bad if the language affended anyone. please tell me if the swearing bothers you.**

**Hope you all enjoyed it!**


	16. Chapter 16

Authors Note: Hey there everyone…this would be my 5th story

_**Author's Notes: **_ Ok so I have been trying for two straight days to get this out to all of you and I feel like such a bitch for promising people I would post when I didn't. For that I am sorry please forgive me! Anyways, I would like to take this time to thank everyone who reviewed to the last chapter and who have been reviewing for this whole story as it has progressed. Thanks so much and I couldn't do it without all of you support! So enjoy this nail-bitter of a chapter!

--

The Techno music was playing in the background, as high as the speakers would allow, while people were dancing up against each other with the beat. Sakura sat down on the couch watching everyone dance until they couldn't dance anymore. Beside her was the one and only Tabito.

His brown eyes looked her up and down as she stretched out her arms over her head, making her black bubble halter top rise up her stomach a bit, causing his eyes to follow her motions.

"So Sayu, would you like to dance?" Tabito asked, as he set his and hers glass down on the glass table and grabbed her outstretched hand, pulling her up in the process.

Before Sakura could even protest, she went face first into his chest. She looked up at him and smiled a sly smile.

"It seems I have no choice."

Tabito smirked at her expression and lead her out into the dance floor. Sakura watched as a few women glared at the two as they started to dance. She also noticed Sara staring at them in the distance.

'_Why is she glaring at Tabito? Do they know each other?' _

Naruto switched the Techno music to some Hip-Hop single. Sakura let the beat take over and she swayed her hips in a slow sideways figure eight against Tabito's lower waist.

She heard no response from the dirty blonde male, but she knew he wouldn't show any signs of enjoyment, that is, unless she really hit a spot.

'_He does that as a way to make the girls try harder to arouse him. That way he can take her to his bed when the club ends, have some fun sex, and forget all about her once day break roles in.'_

"Sayu." He whispered her name in her ear. She couldn't surpass the shiver of disgust that went up her spine. She felt his lips form a small smirk against her ear.

"Yes Tabito?" She asked in a low purr, making him believe that she was aroused just by his simple jester.

"So how did you get into the Club? I doubt a pretty thing like you would wait in the long line outside…."

Sakura leaned back into his chest, raised her arms around his neck and swayed deeper into his lower waist, even though he wouldn't show that he was horny, she could feel his pulse quicken as her movements got bolder. Her shirt rose a little higher than it did when they were sitting at the couch, and his hands immediately attached themselves to her waist. His hands would slowly trail up her stomach in a feather-like stroke. Now Sakura could feel herself getting aroused.

'_Just what I need.' _She thought in horror.

"The Club manager and I know each other before she left home to start her career." Sakura lied.

"Oh? How interesting." He said.

"What about you Tabito? How did you manage to get into the Club? I always see you here when I come….." Sakura stopped mid-sentence, turned around to face him, and her face was centimeters away from his. She watched as his eyes went dull and were replaced with a little bit of lust.

"….unless you are stalking me…." Sakura said as she made sure to move herself closer towards him. If that was even possible.

She felt his chest move up and down in a light manner. His low chuckle gave her a good indication that he was enjoying how she questioned him.

'_I guess no girl really did try to make conversation with him.'_

"You would like that wouldn't you?" He asked as his hands attached themselves on her hips and dragged her, roughly, against him. "But no, this Club is my home. I meet new and soon-to-be famous people. It's where I make my name known."

Sakura lowered her long lashes to cover her pea green eyes and she forced herself to tangle her fingers in his hair. She pulled hard on the semi-long locks and brought his eyes down to her level.

"And just how do you make yourself known Tabito?" Sakura asked in a low seductive tone.

"Like this." Was all he said as his lips collided with hers. She felt his tongue poke at her lips for access.

'_Let him have a little taste…..then tease him a bit.'_

Opening her mouth, his tongue went flying into her mouth. He may have shown that he was uninterested in her actions, but the way his tongue scattered throughout her mouth told her otherwise. Sakura felt him wanting to play with her tongue, trying to instigate it into a little game of cat and mouse, but Sakura simply closed her mouth and bit his tongue. Causing him to give out a grunt and pull his bruised tongue back to the mouth that it belonged too.

Sakura watched as his eyes stared at her in disbelief. She simply winked at him as if it was nothing to worry about.

"You….you bit me." He managed to choke out as he narrowed his eyes at her.

Sakura poked her little pink tongue out of her mouth and slowly liked her lips. She watched his eyes trail after her. "You know Tabito, if you make the girl know that she turns you on, you might get more…..action."

Tabito couldn't believe Sakura, she could see he was a little agitated that she denied his demands to play with her, but then it was replaced with lust and desire.

'_Yeah, desire to screw me.'_

"I guess you're right Sayu." He said as he moved closer to her. "I'll make **sure** to **please **you **more**." He said as he slid his tongue down her neck, making Goosebumps trail along the trail he left.

Soon, the two were dancing again, Sakura made sure that they continued it. Even though she wasn't suppose to feel the way she did, she was still human. And there is no way in hell you can avoid feeling like that! It's human instinct for God's sakes! But while they danced she was curious as to why all the other girls were glaring at Sakura.

When the song finished Sakura pushed him away and motioned for them to go back and sit down. He nodded, took her hand and led them to a booth. When they arrived at the private booth, Sakura watched as another bouncer opened the door for them and closed it after they walked in.

Green eyes traveled all around the quiet room. There was a set of couches and in the middle was a glass table. To her left was the door they entered from and to her right was a fridge.

"You get this room all to yourself?" She asked as she laid sideways on one of the couches, so she could see Tabito, who was still walking around the room.

"Yeah. It's one of deals you get when you are someone like me."

Sakura watched him closely as he went in the fridge and pulled out two drinks. "Why? Do you and Sara have a partnership going on?"

Tabito handed her a glass and sat right next to her on the other couch. "So you **do** know Sara."

Sakura shot him a playful glare. "Of course I do! Why would I lie about something like that?"

Tabito raised the glass to his lips and took a sip. "Many of the girls try to act like they know Sara. But none of them even know her name…." Sakura watched as he raised his hand to his hair and brushed through it. "It's pathetic."

Sakura took a sip of her glass, got up from her comfy position, and walked over towards him. Making sure to sit on his lap as she outstretched her legs away from them.

'_If I want to get more information I'm going to have to get closer to him….Joy.'_

Tabito's eyes eyed her toned legs and couldn't help but run his hands up and down her thigh. She watched as he stayed away from where her white skirt covered.

"Tabito….why were all those girls staring at us while we danced?" Sakura asked as she slid down, making her skirt rise a little bit and her head was able to rest on his shoulder.

"Because they are jealous that you get to dance with yours truly."

"How many girls try to get in this little room of yours? And how many do you let in?" Sakura asked making her last question have jealousy written all over it.

"Many try to get in, but you don't have to worry Sayu…." His head bent down towards her ear. "….I only let the **good** ones in."

Sakura felt the tension in the air grow thick and she felt him wanting to advance on her and strip her of her clothing, but the bouncer came in right as he slid on top of her.

"Sorry Tanaka-San, but the Club is about to close and we need you and your lady to leave." Said the bouncer as he exited the room.

Sakura heard a growl of annoyance come from the back of his throat but he got up, helped her up, and the two exited the Club. The Club was flowing with people as they all made their way out of the place.

Tabito pulled Sakura aside and pushed her up against the side of the building.

"Tabito…" Sakura started to finish her sentence but his lips prevented that from ever happening.

His kissing was brutal and she felt bruises forming on her lips. He was running his tongue wild inside her mouth. It seems like he wanted to finish what he started in the Club.

As his hands trailed up under her skirt she pushed him away. He stared long and hard at her.

"I don't get you." He said as Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. "First you instigate me on the dance floor and the next minute you're pushing me away…..why?" He was getting suspicious now.

Sakura made her eyes soften at him and she smirked. "Women are a mystery to men Tabito….they way we act is only understood by other women."

He pushed her back into the wall and glared at her. She placed her hands under his shirt and traced his stomach, making light circles all around. She felt his muscles tighten up under her touch. His eyes grew dark at her actions, to his disappointment, she stopped. Sakura grabbed his head and put her mouth next to his ear.

"A woman does not like to get screwed in a dark alleyway." Was all Sakura said as she pushed him away and disappeared into the darkness of the alleyway. Leaving Tabito smirking at what a sassy woman he has found and having no intention of losing her.

But the both of them were unaware of the murderous red eyes that watched the both of them in the alley. The red eyes were spinning like a hurricane. They wanted to kill the other male so badly, but knew that his chance would come.

Sakura sighed as she walked deeper into the darkness, she realized what a pickle she got herself into. Here she was trying to get information out of a man that would only give it to you if fucked him.

'_Ugh! At least I managed to get some information out of him. Thank God for that!'_

Sakura heard scuffling of feet from behind her. She narrowed her eyes towards the black void of darkness and slid down into defense position.

"Wooahh! Don't attack me Sayu!" Shouted Twister.

Sakura got up from her crouched position and sighed. "Sorry Twister, I'm just a little on edge. What are you doing here?"

Twister came out from the shadows and winked at her. He was one of the newest member of Cortez. When Kakashi said they had new members every day he was right.

"Smitty told me I had to come find you and tell you he needs to speak to you." He said.

"Ok." Sakura said as Twister lead the way towards the gang.

Sakura arrived in a section where all there was, was a trashcan on fire, which was the only source of light that she had seen in the dark alleyway.

"Smitty! I got Sayu!" Twister shouted happily. "Am I in now?!"

'_So his initiation was to find me? That seems rather….simple.'_

Smitty approached the two from the shadows and the way the glow of the fire reflected off his face, it gave him a menacing look.

"Ha, you think it's that easy to join kid? Don't make me laugh. Get out of here and go find Lefty. He'll tell you what to do." Smitty said coldly. Twister left with a string of curses following him.

Sakura waited until he was out of ear range to begin talking. "Smitty. What did you find?" Sakura asked.

Smitty nodded his head, reached inside his trench coat and pulling out a manila folder.

"Yeah, I did. Everything in this folder contains any activities that Tabito Tanaka has made in his life."

Sakura grabbed the folder from him and smiled. "Thank you…..Should I ask how you go this?"

Sakura watched the menacing smile make its way to his face. "I don't think you want to know."

"I think you might be right." Was all Sakura said as she thanked him once again and made her way to her apartment.

After she made her sleeping nest pile out on the floor, got dressed into hot pink sweatpants and a white tank top, she grabbed the manila folder and made her way towards Kakashi and Naruto.

When she arrived there she noticed how drained Kakashi and Naruto looked.

"Hey are you guys ok?"

Kakashi nodded and Naruto gave her a fox grin. "Yeah, we just haven't gotten any sleep since Sara has been ordering us all to check up on our stations and make sure it is the way she wants it."

Sakura nodded her head. _'I feel so bad for them. I guess Sara isn't all that she makes herself out to be.'_

"What's in your hand Sakura?" Kakashi asked.

Sakura opened the folder and threw its contents on the floor, making the information spread out across the floor.

"I had Cortez find me all the information about Tabito Tanaka as the could. I didn't look through it yet, but I think it has enough information about him."

"Ok, I'll look through these. Naruto, you and Sakura make notes on the scrolls about anything else you two have found." Kakashi said as he grabbed the sheets and scurried to a corner to read it.

"Did you find anything about that list Sara has?" Sakura asked Naruto.

"It isn't much, but when she called me into her office to talk to me about the speaker system, there was a folder opened and it looked like a bunch of names. I was able to get my chakra on the paper, so it could mold the letters. All I need is paper and we'll have a list."

Sakura smiled with pride at her teammate. She passed him some paper and with a single hand seal letters were placed on it. The two looked at the paper and gasped.

"The A-List…..those who deserve to fall…." Sakura read out loud.

Naruto snatched the paper out of her hand and scanned it, the list went on and on….the strange part was that it listed everyone that worked there and everyone that received a pass.

"This makes no sense. She can't possibly want everyone to die…"

"I don't think that's it Naruto….this whole Club is so paranoid about people finding them out, they in circles."

"What do you mean Sakura-Chan?"

"When Tabito would dance or even socialize with me, he made it seem like he wasn't enjoying himself. It's almost as if he was making me try my hardest to get him what I think he would want."

"So you think that they are all top secret about what they do and even the manager doesn't even trust who's on her "A-List"."

"Yeah exactly. You see, Tabito said he would do anything to get famous, and with this Club, I think it is just the ticket to that. He would seduce all the famous girls and they would pass his name around to others."

"The problem is, is that what Sara does when she finds this out…." Naruto finished.

"She might already know about it Naruto." Interjected Kakashi as he made his way towards Naruto and Sakura.

"What do you mean Kakashi?" Sakura asked.

He threw the folder on the floor and sat down. "In Tabito's folder, it said that he made large transactions from his bank account, and then with that money he purchased building material. Wood, glass, windows…it goes on and on."

"So Sara and Tabito work together to build the Club…….but then Tabito must be pissed that Sara took all the credit for making the Club." Naruto said as he rubbed his chin.

"And that my friend will give us a motive. Tabito wants revenge for what Sara did to his name. He wants to make her crash and burn…so he decides to kill off two workers. Hoping to drive people away from the Club…..but if that is true why would he still be trying to get his name on the map? And more importantly…..why would Sara not care that he is plotting against her?"

Kakashi and Naruto looked at Sakura and nodded. "You got a good point there Sakura….but the only problem with that is that the two members that died off were not important to Sara at all. In fact they were just hired."

"Ah! This is going no where!" Naruto yelled as he pulled his hair out of his head.

Sakura nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah. Naruto's right. We just keep going in circles."

"We'll discuss more about it tomorrow. We only have two more weeks on this assignment, Naruto and I will try to decode that list and Sakura, try to find more information about Sara and Tabito's relationship."

With that, Sakura ran back to her hotel room. Not thinking twice to lock her useless door or broken window, she crawled up in the her bed and snuggled up in the covers.

The sun came shinning through Sakura's room. It was so warm and bright that Sakura felt herself almost at peace in the dirty city. Taking a sigh, she got up, got dressed in some silver flats, denim skinny jeans, and a pink shirt.

Sakura spent the day trying to dig up some dirt on Sara and Tabito. All she could find was that Sara and Tabito dated at one point, but even then that was questionable, since it was gossip.

'_The only way I can get information is to ask Sara myself…….and I think that is what I am going to do.'_

Sakura made her way to an office building where she heard Sara was working in.

'_Looks like the Club owner has another job.'_

When Sara heard her office door open, she couldn't keep her shock in. "What are you doing here?" She said in a sharp tone.

"I need to know how you know Tabito Tanaka." Sakura said flatly.

She watched as Sara's face went pale and noticed how her body ran stiff at the mention of his name.

"Why do you need to know anything about that bastard. He's a lying, cheating, son-of-a-bitch. I hold no respect for scum like him."

"And you know this how…?"

Her fists clenched into tight fists. Sakura could tell something happened between them. "We were friends at one point, and that grew into something more…..but that scum infested ass wipe only cared about fame."

"From what I see…..so do you."

Sara flashed Sakura a glare and stuck her middle finger out at her. "Don't get so cocky little girl. Tabito is a scammer. He'll con you to do what ever he wants and then when he has had enough of you….he drops you."

"But yet you still let him in the Club…."

Tension rose in the air at Sakura's statement….that is when she realized something. The way Sara would scream at the man as if she hated his guts, the way Sara would look at them when she danced with him…it finally hit her.

"You are still in love with him, aren't you?"

Tears started to fall from her normally controlled face. "Do you know what it was like?! One day he was there acting like the perfect boyfriend I ever had and then all of a sudden some bimbo from Hollywood comes down and he decides to leave! It hurt like hell, I felt that if I sent him personal invitations and treated him special that he would……"

"Come back to you…." Sakura finished. She felt herself tear up inside. Something about this relationship reminded herself of her infatuation with Sasuke. How she would secretly think that if she favored him he would like her.

'_That never happened.'_

But then she ends up falling for his older brother. This was even more of a shipwreck than her Sasuke fiasco. She fell in love with a man she couldn't have, wouldn't have, and SHOULDN'T have. Their worlds were different and she knew he would never accept her.

Deep down Sakura knew who Sara felt. The two of them were going through the same thing, but just had different road blocks.

"I'm sorry I bothered you Sara. Thank you for your time." Sakura said as she jumped out of the window and continued on with her duties. That is until ten o clock hit, that's when she slipped into her red off the shoulder mini dress with black five inch heels, and made her way towards the Club.

The Club was blaring with music, as usual, and there wasn't that many people in the Club.

'_Maybe it's because the night is still young. No one comes right as a Club opens, unless you are standing in that ridiculous line.'_

Sakura walked all around the Club, ever since she had been stuck with Tabito like superglue, she didn't have the chance to "talk" to her teammates.

Kakashi saw Sakura walking towards the bathroom. He motioned up to Naruto and the both of them left their posts. Since it was still early in the Club, Sara let her employees have freedom to walk around. That is, until the Club would start to heat up, then they were chained to their work stations.

The two men walked into the girls' bathroom and saw Sakura leaning up against a wall.

"What is it Sakura-Chan?"

Sakura sighed, making her shoulders rise up and down. That's when Kakashi and Naruto noticed her outfit.

"Damn, Sakura-Chan! Trying to really dig for information tonight are we?" He said as he raised his eyebrows up and smirked her way.

Kakashi resisted the fact that he wanted so badly to slap his head. Sometimes Naruto needed to learn what he can say and what he shouldn't say.

"I'm sorry I had to drag you two out of your "jobs" but I need to tell you guys what I found out about Sara and Tabito." She said, clearly trying to ignore Naruto's comment.

"What could that be?" Kakashi asked.

"Apparently Sara and Tabito dated before the Club opened. We were right when we said that Tabito helped with the Club founding, but apparently he left Sara for another woman."

"That gives us, yet, another motive. Sara could be staging this whole thing just so Tabito can go to jail for murder." Kakashi said.

"No. She doesn't have the heart to do that." Sakura said as she lowered her head.

"What do you mean Sakura-Chan? The lady is a bitch of a Boss and doesn't even make relationships with her employees."

"Naruto, she is still in love with Tabito." Sakura said as she glared at him.

Kakashi nodded his head at Sakura's statement. Sakura softened her glaze and continued on. "She thought that if she gave him all the privileges that was offered he would come back to her. But in reality he is just using it as a way to get his name known."

Kakashi felt a slight sting in his lower gut. It was well known that Sakura has had bad luck in the department of love. Even though it was with just Sasuke, the girl never looked at a man in that way ever again.

'_Sara's case is somewhat like Sakura's. Sara won't get close to her employees because she is afraid of getting hurt. That would explain the hostile vibe you get from her.'_

"So what you are saying Sakura, is that you think Tabito is the one who we are looking for?"

Sakura shrugged. "I don't know. Why would he cut his major link to fame? It makes no sense. We just need a little bit more information….."

"Hai. But we don't have any more time to chat Sakura-Chan, the Club is starting to get busy, we need to go." Naruto said, as she nodded her head.

The three of them walked out of the hallway together and made their ways to their separate ways. Before Sakura could even move anywhere, Tabito grasped onto her and pulled her to where she just came from.

'_Didn't take him long to find me, now did it?'_

"What were you doing with them?" He asked in a pissed off tone.

Sakura glared at him and tried to get her arm free. "Tabito, let go. You are hurting me."

His eye narrowed down at her. "What are they to you? All they are, are just employees of this Club."

"So what if I make small talk while making my way to the bathroom?!"

Tabito was surprised by her response, but channeled that into pure lust. He wanted to finish what they had started last night and he would be damned if someone interrupted him.

Before he could corner Sakura into a corner and attack her with kisses, she grabbed his hand and brought them to the dance floor.

"Let's dance." Was all Sakura said.

"We like to dance don't we Sayu?" He said, as he made sure to show Sakura just how much he wanted to continue their little activities from last night.

While the two danced with each other a tall man with all black clothing, entered the bar. He made sure not to draw any attention to himself. He grabbed a drink from the bar, from some new bartender, and sat himself down at a table.

His appearance didn't spark any attention from the workers but from the female population. They were always drawn to his mysterious domineer, but he wasn't interested in any of them. He brushed them off, one by one. He was here for one purpose and one purpose only….he just needed to find her first.

His red eyes scanned the crowd of people, looking for his purpose. He was about to go look in another place, until he saw her dancing close with a male with dirty blonde hair.

His jaw clenched and he felt his blood rushing through his veins. He was getting sick of his emotions running crazy every time he saw her. But that was the thing that drew him to her even more.

The male was all over her. His hands would run down her hips, trace designs in her arms, while she was rubbed up against him swaying in all different directions.

Once the song ended, he watched as the male dragged Sakura back towards a hallway, where no one was around. He waited a little bit until he went to follow them. When he got to the hallway, he made his presence unknown to them.

Tabito shoved Sakura up against the wall. He had enough, he wanted her and after their dancing it just made him even more riled up.

Sakura didn't see what was coming. His mouth went flying at hers and he bit her lip open, causing it to bleed while also causing her to open her mouth. Sakura whimpered at his brutal moves. All she could do was stand there and watch as his hands made their way down towards her thighs.

The red eyes that were watching this display, was about ready to jump the male. But he waited, curious to see just how far he would be able to go.

His tongue left Sakura's mouth and made its way towards her neck. He sucked on it long enough to leave a red mark and tempted her by licking it with his tongue.

'_What can I do? I knew he was curious but….this is just nuts.'_

Sakura broke apart the intense situation and just in time too. His next step was going to end up with Sakura having an extra pair of hands where she didn't want them.

He glared at her. "Now what is your issue?!" He shouted at her.

Sakura glared right back at him and raised her hand to slap him in the face, but he caught her slap and grasped her hand tighter than necessary.

"I'm not a piece of meat that you can just chew Tabito. I have been more than willing to do some activities but now you are just crossing it."

His grip tightened up on her hand and she was sure that if any more pressure was applied, it would break. She knew she wasn't suppose to act like she was a Ninja, but the way he was acting made it harder for her not to throw him into the wall.

"Who said you had any say in this Sayu…?" He said with a annoyed tone.

"Let go. You're hurting my hand." Sakura said with a whimper.

The red eyes snapped. He couldn't sit back and watch the man hurt his gem. It was his, and only his. He jumped form the shadows and tapped the male on the shoulder.

Sakura's eyes went wide. She didn't need to be a genius to figure out who was in front of her. She felt her throat close up and all her feelings resurface.

"What do you want!" Shouted Tabito as he threw Sakura's hand down roughly, causing the red eyed man to glare.

"When she says let go. You let go." He said as he clamped his hands around Tabito's neck and backed him into the wall.

"Sayu, who is this guy?!" Tabito demanded.

Sakura stood in her spot, still not believing the fact what was happening. "How did you….?"

He turned his head towards her and she watched as a tiny smirk appeared on his face. Her attention as brought back to Tabito, as he struggled in the mans hold.

'_How did Itachi…..'_

"**Sakura-Chan, watch yourself. I'm getting a very bad feeling about this."**

Itachi squeezed his hand around the mans neck and watched as Tabito, fell into unconsciousness. When Tabito fell to the ground, Itachi turned his attention towards Sakura and stood right in front of her.

She watched as his eyes examined her whole body. The way his eyes narrowed at her neck made her a little red faced.

"Dress to impress Sakura?" He asked as he looked at her outfit, making her blush even more.

"I…." Before Sakura could respond, his lips cam crashing down onto hers. The way his lips were on hers sent chills down her spine. His kiss wasn't as brutal as Tabito's.

Itachi licked her bottom lip and she gladly opened her mouth. He made sure to run his tongue across the open skin that Tabito gladly made. The way his tongue slid over the wound made her flinch yet relax at the same time. She knew her relationship with him would never happen, she knew it couldn't happen, so she might as well take advantage of what was presented in front of her.

His tongue darted through her mouth, it was almost like he was trying to replace the other man's scent with his. His hands wrapped around her waist and pushed her towards him. Sakura felt lost in space, she was overwhelmed with him being here and the way he was touching her.

His hands lightly ran up and down her back, he made sure to close any space between them, finally she was all to himself and no one could interrupt it. With little convincing, he was able to get Sakura's tongue to play with his. The way her tongue blended together with his was sensational.

'_Why is he doing this….?'_

Sakura broke their heated kiss and stared deep into his Sharingan eyes.

"Why are you….." Her eyebrows rose with confusion. Why was he here? Why did he stop what was going on? How did he know she was here?

Itachi smirked at her confusion. The way her facial expression would change just made it to irresistible.

"He isn't allowed to touch you." Itachi said in a possessive tone. "He's lucky I didn't kill him."

Sakura felt a gasp come out of her lips. _'What…..why is he….?'_

"Why are you so protective of me..?" It felt foreign to say to the man but she had to ask.

She watched as his lips went into a straight line. He watched as she placed her hands in his long hair, trying to untie the pony tail. He felt almost….at peace.

"Because Sakura…."

Author's Note: So there is the much needed Itachi X Sakura Fluff. I would have put more but I am running out of time :( sorry guys. Hope you enjoyed this chapter sorry for the wait! I feel so bad!


	17. Chapter 17

_**Author's Notes: **_Hello all my wonderful reviewers! Thank you so much for your support. I do understand that the last chapter was a bit boring, but you all needed that information for this chapter. Now this chapter….he, he….is going to be VERY INTERESTING!!

* * *

Itachi looked deep into the green pools of Sakura's eyes. He watched as questions passed through them. The way her expressions changed was dangerous, yet amazing at the same time. Here he was, the most unemotional ninja alive, and here she was, very emotional and vibrant about her feelings. Yet, they are both part of the same world, destruction, death, and madness. These were some of the reasons why he vowed to protect her. She was too unique and too sweet to have to face the vile world alone.

"Why are you so protective of me?" Sakura asked again.

For the second time in that moment, Itachi repeated himself. "Because Sakura, no one is allowed to touch what is mine." He growled at her as he inched his way towards her lips, wanting to continue what they started.

Sakura felt butterflies rush through her stomach. The forbidden feelings were too overwhelming to turn away from. Why did he think that she was his? She didn't remember telling him that she was in love with him, then why was he making it seem like she did?

Before he could come any closer, Sakura moved her hands away from his hair and placed them on his chest, acting like a barrier between them. His movements stopped, he never forced himself on her, and he never would.

Sakura watched as his bright red eyes came crashing down onto her. She thought about how she would word this question that has been nagging her ever since he has referred to her as "his". _'How the hell do you tell a murderer that you are wondering why he is claiming you? I should be shaking in my heels and trying to escape…..but I'm not.'_

"**Sakura-Chan, please get away from him! I sense something big about to happen! Get out of here!"**

Black locks tossed everywhere as she shook her head, trying to clear her head, while red eyes watched her movements.

"Itachi….why…..why….?" She couldn't find the words she was looking for. She couldn't just come right out and say "Why are you acting like you are claiming me?" Her eyes scrabbled all around, trying to figure out what to do.

Thankfully for Sakura, Itachi knew what she was trying to ask, they didn't call him a genius for nothing. His hands removed themselves from her waist and one hand shifted to her face, cupping her cheek, while the other one made its way to her hair tangling itself in the soft locks.

Green eyes widened as his face came closer. His tone of voice dropped to a whisper. "When they attacked you, I vowed to keep you safe."

Sakura's eyes went wide. _'He….He's talking about when Mist attacked me….but why would he still want to keep me safe? He couldn't possibly…..does he like me?'_

Itachi watched as confusion, along with realization, crossed her face. He smirked her way and continued in his whispered tone.

"Yes, Sakura, I do." He said as he answered her unasked question.

Sakura snapped out of her thoughts and her green eyes stared at Itachi. Time felt like it was about to stop, everything that was happening was making her happy yet scared at the same time.

'_Did he just….did he just confess that he likes me?!'_

Itachi thought she would have jumped on him and hugged him to death. After he learned all about her past, about how his little brother crushed her heart when she was little and how she climbed the ladder of success trying to prove to everyone just how powerful she was, he was expecting a happy smile to flash across her face. It was strange to see her break all contact from him and start shaking her head in paranoia.

"No, no, no! This can't happen! No!" She yelled as she stepped away from him.

Itachi just stood there, waiting for her paranoia to pass. _'She is just shocked about the whole thing. She will realize that she can't do anything about it. It's fate.'_

Sakura felt everything around her starting to fall apart. This couldn't be happening! There was no way in hell that the one and only Uchiha Itachi likes her! It was nearly impossible! And even if he did…..they couldn't be together.

Her hands shook and her knees gave out. She watched as her body fell to the ground, even when she hit the ground the shock was still there.

"This can't happen. It's impossible. How did this happen?!" Sakura kept repeating to herself, over and over again.

Itachi sat down next to her and pulled her close to him, making her sit on his lap. She didn't put up a fight and just buried herself deep into his chest. In a way it made her feel safe and maybe the whole mess would just go away.

'_What am I doing?! Here I am cuddling with him! What is wrong with me?! This whole thing should just be forgotten. We can't be together; it's like a forbidden love! I'm betraying Kohana!'_

Her shaking got worse and Itachi held on to her in a secure hold. He hated to see her destroyed like this, even when they were little he always wanted to see her face graced with a presence of a smile, never with a frown...

He lowered his head down to rest against her forehead. Her shaking ended and her glaze met his.

"Sakura, it has happened. There is nothing you can do to erase it." Itachi said to her in a gentle tone.

Sakura's mouth dropped to the ground. _'Is he serious...Itachi isn't kidding…..I guess……I'll have to accept this. I mean….isn't this what I wanted? I wanted him to return my feelings, and in an interesting way, he has.'_

Her eyes sparkled with happiness at her realization. She watched as his face held a slight calmness to it.

'_She is able to make me reveal emotions that I thought I locked up years ago. Am I ready to accept a weakness into my life? No. No, she is not a weakness. She is a strength that I will have. No one else will hurt her or even touch her.'_

"Itachi." Sakura said his name gaining his attention.

He pulled his head away from her forehead but continued to look at her with great intensity.

His raised eye brow was enough for Sakura to continue her sentence. "What are we going to do? Kohana could think of me as a traitor! Even worse, they could try to kill you…or even me….."

He watched as fear crossed her beautiful face. His grip around her tightened and he held his fingers up to her lips, as an act to make her mumbling stop. He understood that she would be worried about her Village's reaction if they ever found out.

"Don't worry Sakura. It will be a secret until you want it known."

Slowly her paranoia slowly left her. Her shaking stopped and finally the world didn't feel like it was spinning around in circles. She felt herself return back to normal and she smiled gratefully at Itachi.

'_I'm glad he is so understanding about this whole situation.'_

Itachi looked down at her and smirked at her. _'Later we will be able to make it known. But for now discrete ways will have to be made.'_

The two, now united, couple sat down on the ground, in each others arms, until they heard a stir come from beside them. Their heads turned to look at Tabito as he groaned out loud.

Sakura felt Itachi's grip on her tighten around her waist. She placed her hands around his and shook her head.

"Itachi you have to leave. I have a mission I need to complete, if Kakashi or Naruto find out that you are here…..that wouldn't end well."

Itachi glared at Tabito with hatred. Before he released Sakura from his grip, he kissed her on the neck and his hot breath tickled the inside of her ear.

"He better not try anything." Itachi whispered to her as he continued to narrow his eyes towards his direction.

Sakura giggled softly at his tone and nodded her head. Right as Tabito's eyes opened Itachi was gone. Sakura ran up to Tabito's side and watched as his eyes blinked at the ceiling.

"What the…." He said as he sat himself up. In the corner of his eye he saw Sakura watching him.

"Where did that bastard go?!" Tabito yelled as he jumped to his feet and circled around.

Sakura blinked her eyes at him and shrugged her shoulders. "What are you talking about Tabito?"

Tabito turned sharply on his heel and glared at her. "Don't tell me you didn't see the bastard!" He walked up to her and grabbed her wrist. "You better not be sticking up for the man Sayu…" He said in a dangerous tone.

Sakura felt a pair of eyes watching their every move. She felt herself smile on the inside, while she shook her head towards Tabito.

"No Tabito I'm not. Now can we get out of here? You've been asleep for a while now." Sakura said, trying her best to act innocent.

Tabito narrowed his eyes even more and just stared at her, not buying what she was telling him. Before Sakura could do anything he went running out towards the dance floor.

Sakura didn't know what was going on. Doing the first thing that entered her mind, she followed him. Tabito ran right through the crowd towards the side exit door. Not knowing what he was planning Sakura motioned for Kakashi and Naruto to follow her.

Naruto watched the chase and when he saw Sakura's signal, he popped in a mixed CD and jumped off the platform, following Sakura.

Kakashi watched Naruto jump from his station. He followed his movements and watched as Sakura ran after Tabito. He made one of the bartenders take over his shift, pulled his white apron off, and ran after them.

Sakura followed Tabito out of the Club. _'What is he doing?'_

Tabito looked back to see Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi chasing him. He stopped short and turned around sharply.

"Who are you?" He asked with a sharp tone, towards Sakura.

Before Sakura answered his question Kakashi and Naruto showed up. The two of them stood on either side of Sakura.

They watched as his back straightened and his eyes narrowed once again. "Who are they?"

Kakashi took out Sakura's holster and handed it to her. Tabito watched her as she wrapped the item around her leg.

"Tabito, are you responsible for the killings of Sara's staff?" Kakashi asked staring down at the man.

Tabito looked right at Sakura and shook his head. They watched as an evil smile spilled across his face. "No. **I **didn't kill them."

Team Seven watched him burst out into an evil fit of cackles. The doors they just came out of were opened and Sara stepped out. She looked at Team Seven and then her eyes came upon Tabito.

"Tabito…." She whispered.

Tabito stared at her for about a minute and then his attention was back on Team Seven.

"I knew you were a spy Sayu. You were too good for a dump like this." Tabito said.

Sakura's eyes narrowed at him. She heard Sara gasp at him and start to run towards them, her high heels clicking as she ran. Naruto stuck his arm out, cutting off her path to Tabito.

"Tabito! How could you call this Club a dump?! We made it together!" Sara screamed as tears streamed down her face.

"HA! Sara did you honestly think I really cared about this shit hole?!" Tabito cackled again, causing more tears to fall down Sara's face. "I just used you, since the day I met you I knew you would be the perfect sucker to build a Club. I used you to get my name to fame. And it worked."

Naruto held tighter onto Sara as she tried to break his hold, which was impossible. Kakashi took out a kunai and advanced towards him.

"If you didn't kill them, then who did." He demanded.

Tabito showed his evil smirk at them and with the clap of his hands a poof of smoke appeared. Sakura and Kakashi got into defensive position and Naruto took out a Kunai from his holster.

When the smoke cleared a gasp was about to come out of Sakura's throat. Right in front of her was…..Sasuke!

"Teme?!" Naruto shouted in a shocked expression.

Sasuke didn't look at him and just stared at Tabito. "Where is the payment?" He said in a cold tone.

Tabito just smirked, ignoring Sasuke's question and continued to stare at Team Seven.

'_Shit! We are in for a rough ride!'_

"**Sakura-Chan, listen, there is something I must tell you…"**

'_Not right now, I'm a little busy Anri.'_

"What is Teme doing here?!" Naruto yelled.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at Sasuke and saw just how much his ex-student changed. He was wearing one of Orochimaru's costumes; he gave out a cold and evil vibe.

Tabito took a step forward and smirked. "You see Sara; I hired this Ninja to kill any two workers that were part of your Club. Once they did that, more people came to the Club and when I mean more people I mean more famous people."

"Tabito….how could you?! You killed innocent people just to get famous?!" Sara shouted at him.

The evil scum nodded his head at her and made his eyes travel towards Sakura. "I didn't expect for you to actually hire someone, and a good looking one at that, to solve this little mystery."

Sakura felt her grip on the Kunai tighten as she felt all her anger rise from his statement. Oh how she wanted to shove that Kunai deep down his throat!

"Payment." Sasuke said again, this time with little patience.

Tabito looked at Sasuke with hollow eyes. "Oh yeah. Do what ever you want with them." He said as he waved off.

Sakura side-glanced at Sara. _'She needs to make a decision. Does she want him to get away with what he has done all because she still has feelings for him or does she want him to pay?'_

"Tabito!" Sara shouted, causing him to stop and turn his head towards her. "How could you?! I loved you! You made me so happy! And now you just walk away?! Why?!"

He snickered at her and walked up towards her, only stopping a few feet away. "I never loved you Sara. You were a tool I used to get what I wanted…..and guess what...it worked."

Sakura felt her control snap within herself. The jackass needed to be taught a lesson.

"Shut it." Sakura said, gaining attention from everyone.

Sasuke looked her way and smirked. "What does this remind you of Sakura?" He said.

Sakura glared up at him. "Don't even go there Sasuke. That was in the past. Get over yourself."

Sakura watched as his face betrayed nothing, but his eyes seemed annoyed at her little outburst. If he thought she was still going to be in love with him after he left, he was crazy.

Naruto let go of Sara and got ready to fight. Kakashi did the same thing, while Sakura walked over towards Sara.

"Still standing on the sidelines Sakura. How pathetic." Sasuke commented as he unsheathed his sword and got ready to battle.

Sakura brushed him off and looked right at Sara. "Sara…."

Sara looked up to Sakura with heart broken eyes. "How could he be so cruel?" She whispered to Sakura.

Sakura sighed and shook her head. "I don't know Sara, but I need to know something."

Sara looked at Sakura and nodded her head. "What do you want us to do with Tabito? Do you want him dead? Or do you want him alive and handed over to the police?"

Sakura watched Sara as she contemplated on what to do.

"**Sakura-Chan they are coming!"**

'_Who is…..? ?'_

Sakura was cut off by, yet another poof of smoke, but this time the smoke screen was bigger. Team Seven held their guard up even more. The more enemies the harder the mission was going to be to complete.

They watched as Sasuke tensed up as well.

'_That means it isn't someone he knows…which means….who could it be?'_

"**Get out of there now!" **Anri yelled at her. Sakura didn't know what to do. If she ran then her team and Sasuke would be suspicious. She had to stay; she needed to help her team, no matter who it was that was behind the smoke.

Once the smoke cleared the air turned thick with tension. Right in front of them was the Akatsuki. Six cloaked men stood in front of the little group. Not wasting anytime they all removed their hoods and caused the air to get even tenser.

'_Shit! What are we going to do Anri?! If we run now they will know something is up!'_

"**Ok, ok. Calm down. We can do this. All we have to do is not expose you."**

'_You make it seem like there is a move I can do that would give myself away.'_

Sakura was thrown out of her thoughts when she saw Itachi remove his hood. She didn't think that she would have to fight him. She felt sick to her stomach. They just patched things up and now they had to fight each other? Life was never fair to Sakura.

She felt her eyes trail over towards his direction; she shook her head and forced her attention to the whole team in general. If anyone sensed something between them she was in deep trouble.

"Zetsu why the hell are we here?" Hidan groaned out.

"Hidan shut it. Zetsu has a reason, so let him share it." Kisame grunted out.

"Yeah Zetsu why are we here?" Deidara asked. He shot Toby a look before Toby could comment as well.

While the Akatsuki talked amongst themselves, Kakashi glanced at Naruto and Sakura.

"What are we going to do?" Naruto asked.

"There is too many for us to battle. If we attack Sasuke it would be useless since we all know Sasuke will attack the Akatsuki." Sakura added as she told Sara to run back to the Club. Tabito on the other hand already fled the scene.

'_Great, we will have to get him later then.'_ Sakura thought as she stared at her ex-Sensei for a plan of action.

Kakashi lifted up his headband to reveal his Sharingan. "We will not provide the first strike. If Sasuke is as predicting, he will attack Itachi first and then everything will unfold from there."

The other two nodded their heads and returned back to the battlefield.

"Itachi." Sasuke spat out of his mouth like it was poison. Causing the Akatsuki to stop bickering and turn their attention towards Sasuke.

"Who's the punk ass?" Hidan stated with a lazy expression.

"Itachi's little brother." Kisame said.

"Pathetic." Was all Hidan said.

Sakura was sure Sasuke was going to attack Hidan but he controlled himself. Itachi just stared at his little brother for a split second and then brought his eyes to look at Zetsu.

"Why are you here?!" Naruto yelled at the Akatsuki.

Zetsu stepped forward and they watched as a smirk crossed his face. "You thought you could hide from us didn't you? It was pretty clever actually."

Sakura felt the color of her face drain. _'How could they have figured me out?!'_

Kakashi and Naruto shot the member a strange look. "What are you talking about?" Naruto asked.

Hidan sighed. "Stupid Fox. You don't even know about the person that can calm down your fucked up demon huh?"

Kakashi gasped. _'So they have heard of the person as well? But who do they think it is? I mean it can't be Sakura, she has been around Naruto whenever he went out of control and she didn't calm him down at all. It isn't me….could it be Sasuke?'_

"Zetsu why don't you tell us who it is already?!" Deidara yelled.

Zetsu folded his hands together and released a sinister smile. "I'm surprised we didn't think of it before. I mean, they were always around the Kyuubi and other Demon containers….."

"Just fucking tell us you prick!" Hidan screamed.

Zetsu looked straight at Team Seven and shook his head. "Well now you can't escape……Kakashi."

Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura's mouths dropped to the floor. They thought Kakashi was the Demon tamer?! Naruto raised his brow towards Kakashi, while Sakura just stood there still as stone.

"Why didn't you say anything Kakashi-Sensei?" Naruto asked Kakashi.

Kakashi looked at Naruto with just as much confusion. "I didn't know about it Naruto."

While everyone was trying to swallow the fact that Kakashi was the "chosen one" Sakura retreated back to her mind.

'_They think Kakashi is the one?'_

"**It makes sense for them to think that. I mean he was put in charge of the team that contains a demon, of course they would think that. I covered your tracks so well that they have their information wrong. This means you are out of the clear."**

'_But Anri they could hurt Kakashi and if they capture him they could end up killing him! I don't want my ex-Sensei to die just because I won't admit to the world what I am meant to do!'_

"**Sakura-Chan you don't get it! You aren't ready! Sure calming a Demon sounds easy, and it is. All you do is concentrate on your Chakra to your hand, make contact with the demon, and everything else takes care of itself. But there is one skill you are missing!"**

'_What could that be?!'_

During Sakura's internal battle, Akatsuki inched their way towards Kakashi.

"Time to come with us Hatake." Kisame said as he reached up for his sword.

Toby and Deidara came behind Team Seven and Blocked off their escape routes. Hidan stayed with Kisame and got ready to capture the Copy Cat Ninja. Zetsu stood on the side of Kakashi and Itachi stood on the other side of the circle.

'_These idiots have the wrong person……but that gives Sakura a way to get out of this. What ever Sakura did, she made it so the organization has their information wrong. That's interesting, what did she use to cover her tracks?'_

Sasuke was itching to attack his brother, and with Kakashi as their object of attention, it would be easier for him to finally kill his brother. Sasuke watched the excursion, if he knew Kakashi was the Demon Tamer he would have captured him and used him as a bargaining chip.

"Come with us quietly Hatake and we won't hurt your teammates." Zetsu said.

Naruto growled at them and shook his head. "There is no way in hell Kakashi-Sensei is coming with you!"

Kakashi just stood there watching everything unfold. _'How could I be the Demon Tamer if I had no idea I was? I think they got their information wrong….so in that case….who could it be? It's not everyday the Akatsuki get their information wrong. Someone must have covered up their tracks really well.'_

"Oh don't worry Demon boy, you're coming with us too." Hidan snickered towards Naruto.

"**Every Demon has their signature move. Like how Shukaku can control sand and how the Cat Demon can shape shift into any form it desires. As the Demon Tamer, Sakura, you can chose ONE signature move."**

'_Now you tell me this?! Perfect timing Anri, just perfect.'_

"**I didn't think you needed to know just yet, but due to the circumstances, I think you must know now."**

'_Which one am I allowed to have?'_

Anri smiled at Sakura. **"What ever one you desire. You already know that Shukaku holds the power of the ultimate defense, and that the Kyuubi can crush mountains and create tsunamis with a single swipe."**

'_And the others?'_

"**The Cat Demon, which I already told you, can shape shift. The Turtle Demon has the power to slow down time. The fourth demon was able to control the powerful element of water. While the fifth, sixth, and seventh demon's powers are unknown. Even to me."**

'_What about yours Anri? What is your power?'_

"**As you know I can call on human spirits to exit their hosts' bodies. But what my main power is, is the ability to call on the dead and summon them to life….for a certain amount of time that is."**

Sakura thought for a while and nodded her head. _'Ok…..I made my decision. But Anri….will I know how to do the technique?'_

Anri smiled and nodded her head. **"Yes. Remember Sakura-Chan, you possess the perfect Chakra control. You can perform any jutsu."**

The circle became smaller and smaller. As Kakashi and Naruto stood their ground everyone noticed Sakura didn't move.

Hidan stepped close towards the woman and smirked. "Oh look…..she is so scared she can't move."

Zetsu sighed. "Come on Hidan focus!"

Hidan brushed him off and continued to look at Sakura. "She is even more hot up close."

Itachi felt his anger rise, but he made sure not to show it. He also noticed that his little brother was making a move on him. Before Sasuke could catch Itachi by surprise Itachi caught Sasuke's sword with one hand and threw him across the ally way. Making Sasuke's sword crack in half.

Naruto watched as Hidan circled around Sakura and moved towards her.

"Sakura-Chan! Move! Get out of there!" He shouted afraid of what the man would do to her.

They all watched as Sakura's attention was brought back and she was eye to eye with Hidan. She watched as his smirk grew at her.

"So now we are awake? I thought I was going to have some more fun."

Sakura glared at the man. "Who the hell are you?" Sakura said.

Hidan smirked at her. _'A little feisty are we?'_ "Doesn't matter Pinky. All you need to know is that your team is coming with us."

Sakura felt anger rise within her. No one called her Pinky! She tightened her fists and brought it up to his face, aiming to punch the shit out of him.

Hidan chuckled darkly at her and shook his head at her actions. "Now, now Pinky. Did you honestly think that you could punch me down with a single punch?"

Naruto and Kakashi watched the Akatsuki member, not knowing what to do.

"What can we do Kakashi-Sensei? We have no way out and they will be on us like dogs if we do any jutsu.

Kakashi nodded his head towards Naruto. "You're right Naruto and we need to get you out of here. They can't extract the Kyuubi from you that would end badly."

Naruto looked at their options and there wasn't many. They could try to run right through Toby and Deidara but that was risky. There was also the fact that they could try to poof out of there, but even then they could follow their chakra trail, leading them back to the same position.

"Ah! I can't think of anything!" Naruto groaned out loud.

Sakura watched as Hidan traced her knuckles while he held her hand in his.

'_I need to pick a technique that can get us out of this mess. But which one can get us out of here. I know Shukaku's sand could teleport us out….but then they would know my secret. I guess I'll have to use that Demon's technique.' _

Sakura pulled her hand out of Hidan's grip and watched as his face showed shock.

"Well looks like Pinky is stronger than she appears." He said with a bit of an edge to his voice.

The other Akatsuki members watched the interaction. Toby and Deidara just shook their heads at him, while Zetsu glared. Kisame and Itachi made it look like they didn't care.

"Come on Hidan! Stop it already and let's get the Hatake and Kyuubi already!" Deidara shouted.

Sakura took Hidan's moment of distraction and started to form seals.

"Shut it douche bag. Can't you see I'm working here?!"

Hidan saw all his team members looking behind him with baffled expressions.

He turned around to see Sakura forming seals. The seals were ancient and foreign to him, never before did he see seals like these before.

Jumping away, he took the time to speculate what she was about to pull. Everyone watched as her hands moved at a steady pace. It was almost as if she wasn't afraid to show them her jutsu.

'_What is Sakura-Chan doing?' _Naruto thought as he felt the great amount of Chakra come off her. He never has seen her use this much Chakra before. She was never one for Ninjutsu; she was more of the genjutsu type.

Kakashi scanned her with his Sharingan eyes. _'Incredible. I've never seen this jutsu before. What could it be? Where did she learn it?'_

Naruto and Kakashi watched as the Akatsuki got ready to attack what ever it was that she was going to throw at them.

"Kakashi-Sensei what is Sakura-Chan doing?"

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders and tried to read even more into her jutsu.

"I don't know Naruto; did she learn it from Tsunade-Sama?"

Naruto didn't know that answer to that either. "Who knows? What ever they trained was kept secret. So maybe….."

But the two of them really doubted it. Tsunade taught Sakura medical jutsu's and the inhuman strength. This jutsu showed more power and more….demonic twists to it. Where ever Sakura learning this jutsu it wasn't from Kohana.

'_Ok Sakura get ready, you might reveal your identity but I have to! I need to save my teammates and my friends!'_

Anri watched Sakura form seals. She held twisted emotions about Sakura choosing now as the time to try out the technique.

'**She could expose herself, but at the same time she is willing to put herself on the line for her friends. I have no problem with that. If the fight gets to out of hand, I have no choice but to end it.'**

Sakura paid no attention to anyone or anything. All she did was concentrate on her chosen technique, for once she activated this technique, and she knew something would happen. But, she was willing to do anything to save her friends, even if that meant risking being discovered.

* * *

To

Be

Continued

* * *

**Author's Note: ok hope you all enjoyed it and I wanted to tell you all that I tried to do some research on the Demons but all I could find were the ones I was able to describe, except the turtle, it's power i made up. So please forgive me on that. **

**REVIEW PLEASE I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO HEAR WHAT YOU GUYS LIKED AND WHAT REALLY DIDNT GO WTIH IT.**


	18. Chapter 18

_**Author's Notes: **_I am truly sorry for the really delayed posting of this chapter! I didn't mean to make you all have to wait so damn long! :( I was out last week, so I had no access to a computer! :( I hope you all will forgive me for leaving you all on a cliffhanger for too long.

But enough is enough, time for the chapter you all have been waiting for!

* * *

While everyone on the outside watched Sakura form those ancient seals, Sakura had a visitor enter her mind.

Before Sakura decided to use her new found jutsu, Anri had to call on the Demon that held Sakura's chosen technique.

"**Before you start Sakura-Chan, let me call on the Turtle Demon for you."**

Sakura nodded her head at Anri and watched as Sakura's mind became engulfed by demonic chakra. She looked all around the outskirts of her mind, looking for the Turtle Demon. In a blink of an eye, there stood the Turtle Demon.

"**Anri! How did you get out? Where am I?"**

Sakura watched as a tall three tailed Demon stood before her and Anri. Looking over the Demon, Sakura noticed that his skin color was green, but had light brown scales here and there.

'_If he is suppose to be a turtle like Demon….then that means those brown spots could be part of a shell or something.'_

The tall Demon turned his head towards the sound of another voice. Sakura watched as his face came into her view. He had bright red eyes, just like all the Demon's Sakura has seen, with long brown hair.

His red eyes darted up and down Sakura's form, wondering who this human was and why they were here.

"**Anri, who is this human?" **He asked as he shifted his glaze towards the quiet female.

Anri smiled sweetly at the male. **"Nobu-San, this is the one you all have been waiting for." **

Nobu turned his head, sharply, towards Sakura direction. He narrowed his eyes towards her. Sakura had a gut feeling that he didn't believe Anri.

"**This little shrimp? You have got to be kidding me right?"**

Sakura felt her anger rise at the Demon. _'I don't care if you are a Demon! I need you to show me your special technique so I can save my friends and one of your former Demons!' _Sakura yelled at him as she glared at the male.

Anri stood on the sidelines watching the scene unfold. Sakura did have a way with words. _**'I just hope that Nobu-San won't see it fit to kill her.'**_

Nobu commanded one of his tails to circle around Sakura. Sakura stood still, not showing any type of fear at all towards him. He smirked in her direction.

"**So you want to learn my technique eh?"**

Sakura nodded her head with assertiveness. He needed to hurry up, he either taught it to her or he didn't.

'_Yes I do, now can you show me the hand seals?' _Sakura tried to ask in a polite voice, trying to restrain her anger.

He nodded his head in her direction and formed an earth seal. **"My technique comes in handy in tight squeezes, but I will warn you, Chosen One…."**

'_Sakura. I have a name and it's Sakura.' _Sakura said to him while cutting him off.

"……**Sakura, I will warn you, that this jutsu stresses your body beyond belief. So be wise on when and where you use it."**

Sakura nodded her head and formed the seal that the Nobu had already formed. Once she formed that seal, Nobu continued running his hands through the seals. He watched Sakura follow every move he did. The way her eyes caught every move he made was miraculous.

'_**She may be able to copy it……but let's see if she can actually perform it. This technique eats up a lot of your chakra if you're not a Demon. It will be interesting to see how she does with my jutsu.'**_

Her hands continued to follow ever step Nobu's hands made, soon chakra engulfed her whole body and she was knocked back towards reality.

She blinked a few times and saw everyone still looking at her, but as she moved, she noticed that the Akatsuki didn't react.

'_Anri was right, it is like time has slow down…..I can't stop to experiment! I need to grab Kakashi and Naruto and get the hell out of here!'_

Turning her attention to her teammates, Sakura ran towards them, grabbed onto their wrists, and without looking back she ran as fast as she could. Even though she was performing a high level jutsu, Sakura still found chakra in her system, sending it to her feet, making her run even faster.

While Sakura was running around at the speed of light, everyone else on the outside was blown away.

Everyone watched as her seals ended and Chakra started to spread all around her. Once the blue hue around Sakura disappeared, she was gone!

"Where did she go?!" Deidara shouted turning around in circles trying to pinpoint her location.

Hidan narrowed his eyes at the now empty space. _'Where did she go?'_

But, before any of the Akatsuki could react, Kakashi and Naruto disappeared right from their sight.

"Great! Now where did** they** go?!" Kisame shouted, truly annoyed.

Zetsu and Itachi stood there analyzing the situation. One minute Sakura was in front of them and right as a gust of wind comes, the whole entire team is gone?

"Did anyone realize just how demonic that jutsu seemed?" Zetsu commented, catching everyone's attention.

"Now that you mention it….that jutsu did seem a little…off." Deidara added.

Itachi stood there still in place. He watched her perform a high level jutsu, and the scary part was, was that his Sharingan couldn't read it. The intensity of that jutsu's seals was unbearable.

'_What kind of jutsu was that? Where did she learn that?' _

Nothing made sense, from everything that he has read about Sakura; they always said she wasn't one for high level jutsu's. She was the type that could make a kick ass genjutsu and be able to analyze people's battle style, making it easy for her to find a weakness in it. But nothing said about her possessing such an unimaginable technique.

"Now what do we do?" Kisame said, getting annoyed with everything.

Zetsu sighed. "Looks like I have some more research."

Hidan shook his head. "How much more fucking research do you fucking need? So the hott piece of ass did a one nasty jutsu? Wupp-de-fucking-do."

"She isn't supposed to be able to do types of jutsu's like that." Itachi stated, while trying to forget the way Hidan described Sakura.

Hidan glared at the Uchiha. "What-ever." He grunted out.

"Everyone back to our original mission, try to find out as much as we can about Kakashi Hatake and his little female teammate." Zetsu said as he poofed away.

With a big sigh, the organization poofed away trying to dig up information. Leaving Kisame and Itachi alone, once again.

"Itachi, how did you know that they would be here?" Kisame asked, a little suspicious that Itachi showed up right as Team Seven entered the alleyway.

Itachi turned his impassive face towards his teammate and stared at him with red eyes. "They were heading in this direction; the major city that a Konoha ninja would travel to would be Cloud. There is no need to travel to small villages."

Kisame nodded his head. Sometimes his partner was just too smart. "Oh. So where should we go researching?"

Itachi sighed in his head. Kisame way have brute strength, but he was truly the brains of their operations.

"Anywhere." Itachi said as the two of them poofed away.

Deep in the forest of Cloud stood Team Seven. Naruto and Kakashi blinked several times before realizing that they were away from the Akatsuki and Sasuke. They watched as Sakura panted heavily.

"**Well I'll be damned, the girl did it." **Nobu said.

Anri smiled at the scene before her. Sakura successfully completed the jutsu, but also caught the Akatsuki's interest.

"**See, I told you Nobu-San. She is the one."**

Nobu turned his attention away from the screen and stared at his youngest sister. Anri, although quite powerful, was the youngest next to their family of nine.

"**Anri, how do you know that she is the one? I know how you wish us all free, but you can't place these actions upon one human."**

Anri looked deep into her older brother's eyes. She knew that she had the intention for trying to save her family, no matter the consequences.

"**Nobu-San, I know you are worried, but I know she is the one! I just know it!"**

He raised his eye brow towards her direction. **"How do you know she is the one?"**

Anri glared at her older brother. **"When her chakra flared out of her body, didn't you feel a sense of peace at all? Or how about when your tail circled around her, didn't her presence seem different than your host's?"**

Now that Anri mentioned it, there was something different about Sakura's Chakra than all the other human's he has came in contact with. While the human's chakra he would analyze made his chakra boil or made him want that chakra, Sakura's Chakra seemed to calm him down. Her chakra made him feel a peacefulness that he hasn't felt in over 400 years.

His attention was brought back to the screen as he stared at the pink haired woman, trying to compose herself.

"**You know Anri……I think you are right. Her Chakra gave off this serene feeling." **Anri watched as a small smiled crept to his face. **"One that I have not felt in a while."**

Anri walked up to her brother and captured him in a hug, one in which he did not return. He wasn't one of those touchy-feely types.

"**See! I told you brother!" **Anri said, realizing that she called him her brother instead of his name. **"I mean…."**

Nobu shook his head towards his sister. **"Don't worry about it Anri, it's just you and me right? It's when you are in the presence of your elders do you have to refer to me with such a title."**

Anri nodded her head. If there was one thing she didn't like about being the youngest, was that she had to call everyone by their names and add the honorific -San at the end of their names.

'_**It would be nice to call them brother or sister every once and a great while.'**_

"**Well Nobu-San, I guess I'll bring you back to the container in which you are all locked up in. Tell everyone I say hello."**

Nobu nodded his head towards Anri and smirked. **"I will. They will be eager to hear of the news."** Nobu turned his head to get one last look at the woman that could save them of their horrid predicament. **"Take care of her Anri. Although I have only met her for a short time……she has grown on me."**

Anri giggled at her brother. **"Yes, Sakura-Chan has the power to do that."**

Before Anri formed the seals to bring her brother back to the dark depths of the Akatsuki's layer, Nobu threw her a necklace.

"**Give it to Sakura." **Nebo said as he got ready to depart.

Anri looked at the necklace. It was a silver gold chain with a round pendant. The pendant held nine colored stones lined up in a circle. One color for each demon, red, blue, green, brown, white, yellow, orange, black, and light blue.

Anri gasped at it and stared at her older brother, clearly confused at what it was that he was implying.

"**Nebo-San……why are you……?"**

Nebo smiled at his little sister. **"Incase that little shrimp gets in trouble over her head, she can always ask us for help. Those Akatsuki think they can contain our power, I don't think so."**

Anri smiled brightly at her brother and nodded her head. **"I will make sure to give it to Sakura-Chan. So long……brother."**

"**Good bye little sister." **Nebo said with a wink before Anri poofed him off into his caged environment.

Soon, Sakura's breathing returned back to normal and she was able to stand up back on her own two feet.

'_Dang, Nebo wasn't kidding when he said it stressed your body.'_

"Sakura-Chan! How'd you do that?! What did you do?!" Naruto shouted questions out at her, now that she was able to breathe normally.

Kakashi nodded his head in agreement. "Yes, Naruto has a point there Sakura. Where did you learn that technique? And what exactly did it do?"

Before Sakura even had a chance to answer any of the questions being thrown at her, Naruto added a few more statements in.

"I don't know what it was Kakashi-Sensei, but it felt like we were moving so fast no one could see us."

Sakura smiled at Naruto and nodded her head. "That was what the jutsu did. It made my body move at a speed where it seems like I'm invisible."

Naruto's eyes went wide. "Really?! You have to teach me that Sakura-Chan!"

Sakura shook her head at him. "I'm sorry Naruto, but I don't think I can."

"Aw! Why not?" Naruto was baffled that he couldn't learn her trick. It would come in handy in many situations.

Sakura just shrugged her shoulders, she really wasn't sure why she couldn't teach it to him, he has the Kyuubi in him, so why couldn't he?

'_He can't learn it because the Kyuubi has his own special talent.'_

"Sakura…" Kakashi said, grabbing her attention.

"Yeah Kakashi?" She could only imagine what he would ask her.

"Where did you learn that jutsu?" His eyes narrowed down at her, truly suspicious.

'_That technique seemed to demonic for a normal human like Sakura to even conjure it up. I mean if Naruto preformed it, that would have been understandable, but it wasn't Naruto that released the jutsu.'_

Sakura stared wide eyed at her teacher, what was she suppose to say now?

'_I can't say, oh I just read it out of a scroll and ta-da I learned it! I don't know how much longer my secret identity will last…'_

"Well Sakura?" Kakashi asked, raising a silver brow in her direction waiting for her to answer.

Before Sakura could come up with a bull shit answer, she felt a chakra presence coming their way. Automatically, every one of them went into a defensive mode.

Their eyes trailed everywhere around them, but stopped on raven haired Uchiha in front of them.

"Sasuke?" Sakura whispered.

'_What is he doing here?'_

"What do you want Teme?!" Naruto yelled, truly disgusted by his ex-teammate. When did Sasuke become so...evil?

Sasuke snickered at them and turned his attention straight to Kakashi.

"If I knew my own Sensei was the Demon Tamer, I would have kidnapped you a long time ago Kakashi." Sasuke said in cold tone.

Kakashi stared at Sasuke with a blank expression. Naruto was getting riled up, while Sakura stood in her defensive position.

"Teme! Stay away from Kakashi-Sensei! You are taking you back to Konoha! Believe it!"

Sasuke snickered at him. "Why would I go back to that puny village? It's weak and a waste of space. What makes you think you can even catch me, you weak demon." Sasuke stated.

Sakura watched as Naruto looked like he was shot. Sasuke was the last person you would expect to call Naruto a Demon.

"Teme….." Naruto stood there in disbelief. He felt his anger rising towards Sasuke. "How dare you insult Konoha!" Naruto yelled, feeling the Kyuubi's chakra raising.

_'How dare Teme insult his home town?! Why would he call me a Demon? What has happened to you Teme?'_

Naruto was in major disbelief. How could his best friend/ teammate insult the place called home? What has the snake bastard done to Sauske? Naruto didn't know what to do, but he did know that he needed to get Sasuke as far away form Orochimaru as possible. Which meant that he needed to fight him.

"**That's it Kit, let my power take over, and kill the one that calls you a Demon!" **Kyuubi didn't care that Sasuke was insulting the village, but he did care that the emotionless Uchiha called him weak! No one would dare call the famous nine-tailed fox weak! For that Kyuubi would make him pay!

Kakashi and Sakura watched as Naruto let his body be consumed by red Chakra. His eyes turned red, his teeth grew larger, his whiskers grew longer, and his fingernails grew longer.

"You'll pay for that Teme! I'll bring you back to Konoha!" Naruto cried as he got ready to advance on Sasuke. His voice the mix of the Kyuubi and Naruto. Causing Sasuke to become anxious about their fight.

Sakura turned to Kakashi. "What should we do Kakashi?" She was afraid for Naruto and Sasuke. She remembered when Naruto let the Kyuubi consume him the first time, that was scarey. Now Naruto was fighting a friend who was yet tehir enemy. Even though Sasuke was her enemy and she didn't love him anymore, she still would never wish anything bad to happen on his behalf.

Kakashi stared at the soon to be battle and sighed. This mission was getting worse and worse as time passed by.

"Sakura, I'll watch Naruto, I want you to watch Sasuke and try to help Naruto as much as you can. Make sure he doesn't get to the point where the Kyuubi takes over his body."

Sakura nodded her head. Reaching down into her holster, Sakura pulled out three kunai and shuriken. Placing three of each kind in her hands, Sakura got ready for the fight.

Kakashi stood beside Naruto and waited for him to attack Sasuke. Even though Naruto was oblivious to everything around him, that didn't mean his team would let him do all the work. Kakashi and Sakura would fit in the battle wherever they could.

They watched as Sasuke drew out his sword from its holder. He twirled it a few times and without another minute Naruto ran right at him.

Sakura watched as Naruto went full speed at Sasuke. At first Sasuke didn't seem like he thought Naruto would be that fast, but after Naruto managed to scratch Sasuke with his claws, Sasuke became completely serious.

Sasuke lifted his sword and soon all Kakashi and Sakura could see was blurs of red and black. The two went back and forth, Naruto lunging at Sasuke, while Sasuke would try to dodge the Demon's pace.

A few times here and there Kakashi would try to land a move in the battle, but Naruto wouldn't let him. The Kyuubi was making Naruto fight Sasuke one on one, with no interruptions.

When Kakashi came back down landing next to Sakura, she was worried.

Her emerald eyes followed the blurs and could catch a glimpse of wounds entering on Sasuke and Naruto.

'_At this rate, they both will get killed! They are going so fast their bodies won't be able to withstand all the pressure being put on their muscles and bones.'_

Sakura felt her medic side rise with caution. If she didn't stop the merciless fight soon, she would have to come home with two dead teammates, and that was something she was NOT looking forward to.

"**Sakura-Chan, it looks like you need to calm down Naruto before Kyuubi gives him any permanent damage."**

'_How do I do that?' _Sakura asked Anri as she continued to analyze their moves, finding where opening were in their fighting circle.

Anri also watched as Naruto pushed his limits even more, trying to throw Sasuke into a couple of trees. Sasuke would come back with a few jutsu's, trying to knock Naruto backwards that way Sasuke could deliver a painful blow.

"**What you have to do Sakura-Chan is gather chakra into your hand and place it anywhere on Naruto. As long as your Chakra touches him, he will calm down."**

Sakura nodded her head. Taking a deep breath, Sakura waited for a hole in their fight, so she could enter right in the middle of them.

Kakashi watched the fight ensue with the growing strength both his male students showed. The both of them have grown so much, Kakashi then turned his attention towards Sakura. She was different than her other two teammates. She was in a league of her own, even when they were younger, Kakashi never compared her to them when it came to power or smarts or skills.

"Sakura, I have an idea." Kakashi said, but as he turned his full attention to her he saw she wasn't there anymore.

'_Where did she….?'_

"Sakura!" He yelled.

Sakura was right in the middle of them fighting. It made Kakashi have a flashback to when Naruto and Sasuke were fighting on the roof top and Sakura ran right in the middle of them.

As she approached the middle of the chaos, Sakura gathered chakra in her palm and got ready to grasp onto Naruto. As Sasuke and Naruto came closer and closer to her, Sakura got ready.

Naruto-Kyuubi watched in horror as Sakura placed herself in front of their high intensity battle. Even though Naruto was half taken over by the Kyuubi, the Demon also held a soft spot for her, hence why he and Shukaku gave her that tattoo.

Sasuke on the other hand continued on with his Chidori. Who cares if his ex-teammate got in the way. She was just another pawn that needed to be destroyed.

Sakura watched as Naruto-Kyuubi tried to hold back his Rasengan, while Sasuke was trying to thrust his Chidori through her.

'_Ok Sakura you have one shot at this.'_

Right as the two got close enough, Sakura flipped her body over towards Naruto and placed her glowing hand of Chakra right on his shoulder. While her hand was on his shoulder, she pushed him down, making Sasuke fly right beside Sakura. She felt the intensity of the Chidori as it flew right past her. She flattened her body down on Naruto's back and watched as Sasuke went flying away form them.

Once Sakura's charka touched Naruto's shoulder, Naruto-Kyuubi felt the world spinning. Naruto and the Kyuubi watched as his body felt warm and fuzzy.

"**Kit, what is going on?'**

Naruto didn't say anything, for he felt his body slowly slipping to unconsciousness.

The Kyuubi was left alone feeling his body feel as light as a feather. **"What is going on?"**

"**Glad to see you awake Kyuubi-San."**

Kyuubi squinted his eyes, trying to get a better view of what was in front of him. **"Anri? Is that you?"**

With a flash of light, his little sister was right before him. **"I thought you were in scroll Shukaku and I sealed you in?" **

Anri smiled at her brother and nodded. **"I am, but Sakura-Chan holds my spirit in her mind."**

Kyuubi's eyes went wide and he felt his body shoot up. **"Is she ok? The Kit would never forgive me if she died."**

Anri nodded her head. **"Yes Kyuubi-San, she is. Actually she is the one that saved you and Naruto-San."**

Kyuubi narrowed his eyes towards his sister. **"What do you mean? The only way Sakura could separate my power from Naruto's is if she was……"**

Anri watched as his red eyes went wide with realization. **"Yes, Kyuubi-San, she is the Chosen One that we have been looking for."**

"**So she used Nebo's technique eh? I knew I have seen that jutsu before."**

"**Right again." **Anri said with a smile. **"And you have seen that she even calmed down your rage with her chakra."**

Kyuubi stared blankly at Anri. He sent his chakra to scale his body, and he found his chakra no longer in a testy state. It was as if he was calmed down and found peace within himself.

"**All from Sakura, huh? Does anyone know of her power?"** He asked.

Anri shook her head. **"No, no one knows. I sworn her to secrecy."**

Anri watched as her older brother chuckled at her. She raised her eye brow at his statement.

"**Well after her calming The Kit down, I think she is going to have to explain herself."**

Anri bite her lip with uncertainty. **"I know that……but……"**

Kyuubi placed his claw like hand on her shoulder. **"Let her tell them, they need to know. You never know Anri, they could be the help that Sakura needs to help free us all."**

Anri sighed and nodded her head. **"I guess you are right, I will allow her to tell Kakashi-San, Naruto-San, and her Sensei. But that is it. If anymore find out about her……I have a bad feeling nothing good could come from it."**

"**Looks like its time for me to go." **Kyuubi said as he felt Anri slipping away from him. The last thing he saw was her smiling a grateful smile towards him.

'_**She was always the one that showed the most emotion out of all of us.'**_

Kyuubi shook his head at his silly sisters' tactics. He never did quite get his youngest sister, but he would always trust her methods, even if she was the youngest out of all of them.

'_**You better watch out for Sakura Anri. I have a feeling her little showing of her jutsu is going to bring her a troubling future.'**_

* * *

TO

BE

CONTINUED

**_Author's Note:_** I hope you all enjoyed that! Please tell me that you did! I'm sorry if it got boring for a bit, that's why I placed in the tiny fight scene. I didn't do a good job on it, but I just need to bring my fighting scenes back from the crapper huh?

Well tell me what you think! I am looking forward to hearing them!

AGAIN: I AM SORRY FOR THE TERRIBLE WAIT!! :(


	19. Chapter 19

Authors Note: Hey there everyone…this would be my 5th story

_**Author's Notes: **_ I say I'm going to update on one day and I end up extending it, I'm so sorry. :( I need to get better at making dead lines huh?

Anyways, enjoy the chapter!! :) Also, I will be away for a while, till the 23rd actually, so if I don't reply to the reviews like I normally do that is the reason.

--

Sakura landed gracefully on the ground while catching Naruto in her arms. Kakashi stood right next to her and examined the Blonde, from the way Naruto dropped down to the ground, Kakashi could safely conclude that Naruto was unconscious.

His two colored eyes made their way to his female teammate. There was something she wasn't telling him or Naruto and it troubled him. Sakura was the type that would say what was on her mind, after some badgering of course.

"Sakura, what exactly did you do to Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

Kakashi watched her face for leaking emotions. Her eyes seemed to widen as he asked his question, while her jaw tightened and teeth grinded together. At her reaction, Kakashi knew there was something she wasn't suppose to tell him. What could it be and why couldn't she tell him what it was, was his question.

When Kakashi's question was released from his mouth, Sakura felt her whole world starting to slip away from her fingers. Every action she took, every move she showed, came crashing down on her. She exploited her secret, and not just to her teammates, but to the Akatsuki as well.

'_What have I done?! I broke Anri's promise!' _Sakura clenched her jaw and grinded her teeth in anger. _'How could I be so stupid?!'_

"_**Sakura-Chan, what you did was admirable. You were right when you told me about how your teammates were the only thing that mattered. We may have showed them all who you are, but not what you can do."**_

'_But Anri, Kakashi is asking questions what can I tell him?'_

"_**Tell him and Naruto the truth. I realized that sometimes keeping secrets from the important people in your life is just as dangerous as telling them."**_

Sakura felt her lips curve into a bright smile. Finally she was able to tell Kakashi and Naruto what her skill was, it felt great to be able to share her intentions with the ones she loved.

"Well Sakura?" Kakashi asked, as he took Naruto from her grasp and placed him up against a tree they were near.

"Well Kakashi you see…." Sakura never did get to answer her ex-Sensei, for a tree collapsing, caught their attention. Kakashi and Sakura turned towards the sound of the noise to see a panting Sasuke, throwing a tree out of his way. His whole body was shaking with anger and his eyes were bleeding red. How dare she interrupt their fight!

"What the hell was that?" Sasuke asked while shouting at Sakura, glaring at her with his intensive Sharingan. "Why did you interrupt us?!" He was truly mad, a weak woman had no business interrupting his battle.

Her muscles tensed up as his Sharingan eyes trailed all over her, trying to figure out what exactly it was that she did. Emerald met blazing red in a heated staring contest, not one daring to look away, for it would show weakness.

Kakashi could smell the tension raising from the ex-teammates. He has been in enough situations to know that a battle was about to ensue and he knew they couldn't battle Sasuke. If their medic was hurt, then who would be able to heal their dire injuries?

"Sakura, don't fight him." Kakashi ordered. He knew that he would hurt her pride, but he was the leader and he needed to look out for his team, no matter what the outcome was.

Sakura watched as a tiny smirk plastered itself on Sasuke's face. "Yeah Sakura, listen to your Sensei, just walk away. You were always the weakest of our team."

Sakura felt something snap from within herself. She knew that he was setting up a trap, hoping she would charge at him full of rage, where he would then show her just how weak she was just because she would be blinded by her rage. Taking a deep, Sakura could feel the urge to prove him wrong.

Her emerald eyes flashed with new determination. She would show him just how wrong he was about her, and she would also show him how costly it was to think in the past. First he ruins his life by following the path of vengeance and now he was going to get his ass handed to him for thinking she was still the weak little girl.

"Kakashi…." Sakura started to say as she turned her attention towards him. She watched as he narrowed his eyes at her. He knew that look, and when Sakura was set on something, there was no way you could talk her out of it. "….take care of Naruto. Make sure that you two don't get hurt in any way." She finished as she flashed a smile towards Naruto.

Sasuke watched the pink haired woman advance towards the unmoving blonde. Sakura kneeled down at Naruto's side and leaned down towards his ear.

"Naruto, I know you can hear me, please don't get angry with me. Sasuke needs to be shown that we are as powerful as him and without leaving the village. I know you want to fight him too, but you did your part…..now it is my turn." Sakura ended her speech and shifted her body to stand up.

Her face turned serious as she passed Kakashi, she nodded his way and faced her opponent head on. Sasuke seemed amused at her actions.

"It's your funeral Sakura." Sasuke simply said, as his eyes started to swirl at the growing tension.

Sakura just stared at him, reached down to grab her shuriken and kunai from the previous battle, and continued to stare at him.

Muscles tensed, weapons grasped in ninja's hands, and plans formed in their minds. The first move would be the catapult of which plan to use.

Sakura took a deep breath, preparing herself for one of the toughest battles she would ever have to do. Her determined emerald eyes sparked with fire at Sasuke as she made her move.

Sasuke watched as her body moved towards him. He watched her movements with his steady eyes and blocked each kick and punch she aimed at him. Her punches came at him with a steady pace, but held kunai's and shuriken poking out of her fists. He retaliated and would perform with his own set of punches and kicks, easily avoiding her punches filled with weapons.

Sakura watched his punches and kicks. They came in fast, at first, and it caught her off guard. She didn't expect him to be so fast, but after working with Itachi at his Junin level her eyes could piece together his movements. Even though it was when Itachi was younger, every ninja can benefit from their past experiences.

Punch after punch, kick after kick came from the two ninja's. Sharingan eyes narrowed at how Sakura easily evaded his taijutsu moves. He was always the quickest on the team while she was the worst.

'_This game of cat and mouse has gone on to far.'_

Sasuke did a back flip, providing distance away form Sakura, and contemplated his next move. He felt his curse seal giving him even more power, as the power level from Sasuke rose, Sakura could feel his Chakra levels rising.

'_It's suffocating. His power….where did it come from? It is almost demonic in a way.'_

Sakura took a few back steps and felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. What ever Sasuke was cooking it wasn't going to be good.

His hands went flying through seals. He never faltered once and his Chakra flow began to heat up. Before Sakura could register what he was planning, blackness started to creep up on her.

Sasuke watched Sakura's movements. At first she stood there, wondering what his shadows could do, but as soon as she saw the shadows turning into snakes she ran through the trees. Her intentions were unclear to him, but he made sure to follow her. Sakura ran through those trees with the shadow snakes on her tail. Not looking back, Sakura started to work her own magic, she was a medic and a damn good one at that.

'_I need to draw him close, that way I can plant my jutsu.' _Sakura thought as she let herself be consumed by the snakes.

Sasuke watched with alarmed eyes as his shadow snakes captured Sakura. His snakes were meant to just corner her and then eat at any chakra she would use. As he waited he noticed his shadow's wavering, they seemed to flicker a lighter shade of black.

From inside the shadows Sakura watched the snakes' just stare at her, waiting for her to do anything. As her eyes studied the snakes, the more she noticed something familiar.

'_It's like they are waiting for me to do something. It is typical for Sasuke to be waiting for his prey to make the first move. But these snakes….their shadows….'_

At first Sakura made some of her chakra check what the shadow snakes would do. Right as she summoned the chakra the snakes attacked her, causing her to draw it back.

'_So they are attracted to chakra.' _Sakura felt herself smiling. A ninja knew that it was deadly to rely solemnly on chakra; apparently Sasuke thought she would make that mistake. _'Let's show him just how wrong he is.'_

Since the shadows were attracted to chakra, what happens when they can't sense it at all? Sakura concealed her chakra and watched as the shadows faded away, but she didn't stop there. While the shadows were evaporating away, she hid amongst the trees.

Her steady eyes watched as Sasuke examined the area, her chakra slowly seeped out from her hands as she waited for him to move. He hasn't seen her signature move yet and it would be great to see the look of shock on his face.

Sasuke smirked at the competition. He expected her to use chakra every chance she got, she was smart he would give her that, but the fact that she found a way out of his snake hold was interesting.

'_But this isn't even my real power.' _

As he neared in the middle of the battlefield, Sakura stealthily raised herself for her attack. Before Sasuke had a chance to register the chakra surging from above, Sakura came soaring down at him with her chakra enhanced fist.

He barley avoided her lethal punch and watched with utter shock at the magnitude of her punch. The ground shook like an earthquake and a giant fissure appeared where he once stood.

The two ninja's gracefully landed from flying through the air and continued to attack each other. Blood was shed and bones were cracked. Sakura and Sasuke stood firmly in their place, panting hard. Not one of them thought that the battle would become this intense, gruesome, brutal, and stressful. Sasuke's constant jutsu's were wearing down on his body, but Sakura's dodging skills were being strained.

The grounds held holes, fissures, trees, and everything else imaginable that could be destroyed, was destroyed. Sakura tried to heal her deep gashes while Sasuke would compose any jutsu that was kept up in that head of his, but the more he used his jutsu's the more Sakura's medical trained eyes saw just how strenuous they were.

A large rumble from the ground came and enormous amounts of earth shot out from the ground. Aiming for Sakura, making her feel like a target board. She kept running and running around, using her inhuman strength whenever she could. She could see Sasuke from the corner of her eye and she flipped herself towards his direction, throwing a kunai at him, causing a small cut to be placed on his shoulder.

Sasuke continued to hurl the boulders towards Sakura, but as soon as one of the biggest rocks was being ready to be thrown towards Sakura, he felt something in him falter.

The rock fell down to the ground with a large thud, and he felt his chest start to close up. Sakura watched as he dropped to the ground and held onto his chest, his fingers tightened on his shirt in pain.

She jumped down towards him and picked him up by the collar of his shirt. His red eyes showed pain but also puzzlement. She watched as his eyes flashed in pain at her and she felt his muscles tensing up.

"What…..did….you….do…?" Sasuke barely managed to get out of his mouth. His chest felt like it was on fire and all his organs were melting by the intense heat. It came out of no where, one minute he was cut by a kunai and the next he was dropping down to the ground like a dead fly.

'_That's it. She must of put something on the kunai. It could be poison.'_

Sakura watched him a few more seconds before she flung him towards a few trees. She didn't want to hurt him anymore, but she needed to make sure he knew that she wasn't the weak little girl he thought she was.

"I'm a medic-nin Sasuke. You should know that our hands are deadly. We can manipulate muscles to perform actions, without the need of a puppet, or we can cause each system to shut down one by one." she kneeled down towards his side and stared right at him, not afraid of his Sharingan. "but the scariest thing about a medic Sasuke…." She paused for dramatic suspense. "Is the fact that they can turn your health from good to bad all by a tiny cut with a kunai."

She watched as he glared at her, finally putting all the pieces to the puzzle. The whole fight wasn't trying to kill him, it was all a trick just to show him just how much of a challenge she was for him. She made the battle too easy with her only attacking with necessary and falling into every trap he set.

He forgot to put into account that she was a medic and a very good one at that, he was stuck in the past so much that he couldn't analyze his opponent correctly, a mistake he would never make again. Now, he has to live with this burning sensation in his chest as a reminder of just how much she has changed and how much more powerful she has become.

Sakura picked him up once again and with a few hand seals, Sasuke was transported far away from Sakura and her team. Kakashi came jumping down from a tree, carrying Naruto, and couldn't help but smile at her job well done.

"Good job Sakura." He said as he looked over her injured body.

Sakura felt her insides fill up with happiness, Kakashi never did shower her with praise, so it was great to hear it. "Thank you Kakashi, but we better get a move on back home. We need to tell Tsunade about our mission."

Kakashi nodded his head, but eyed her up and down. "Are you going to be alright with those injuries?" Sure the injuries were not as bad as they were in the beginning, but they had a long way back home and if a surprise attack was bestowed on them, it would not be pretty.

Sakura flashed Kakashi a reassuring smile. "Don't worry Kakashi I'll be fine."

The two of them continued on their way back to Konoha replaying all the events that has happened in the past month. First their mission slowly unraveled, which brought them right in the middle of the Akatsuki and Sasuke. This reminded Kakashi of what the Akatsuki were looking for, and to ask Sakura what exactly she did to Naruto.

'_I will ask her when we are back in Konoha and in front of the Hokage. It will save her from repeating everything.'_

Sakura continued to jump steadily through the trees, trailing beside Kakashi. Their air was silent but she was thankful. She could only imagine when he would bring up the previous subject. Until then, Sakura had to remain focus on the task at hand and that would be the ability of getting back home, unharmed and alive.

­­_**Author's Note: I'm so so so so sorry for the short ass chapter but it is 1:13 a.m. and I have to get up at 6 a.m to leave. I wanted to give you all a chapter before I left. SORRY!! :(**_


	20. Chapter 20

_**Author's Notes: **__**Hey everyone! I'm sorry for the length of the previous chapter, but I am back, school starting back up again, and here is a new chapter as a Farwell to my summer :( I hope you all enjoy! :)**_

* * *

Three exhausted ninja's entered through Konoha's gates, making their way towards the Hokage tower. The fatigue and wounded ninja's entered the Hokage's office and tried to find a seat to sink their bodies into.

Tsunade had two towers worth of paperwork in front of her. When she heard the door shut and saw a glimpse of Kakashi's hair, she quickly pushed the papers aside, causing her to have a peep hole through the piles of paperwork. She watched as the three ninja's sank deeply into her deep blue velvet cushioned chairs on the other side of her desk.

"I take it the mission was successful?" Tsunade asked, while grabbing a few papers from her never ending stack of paperwork.

"I don't know if you can call it that." Sakura said towards her Sensei. Sakura watched as bewilderment and rage flashed through amber eyes. Sakura could feel a gulp raise up her throat, Tsunade did not look very happy.

"What do you mean Sakura?" Tsunade asked while she glared down at the team.

Kakashi cleared his throat, causing the attention to shift from Sakura towards his direction. "You see Hokage-Sama, during our mission we were able to figure out who was behind the killing."

Tsunade narrowed her blonde eye brows at the statement while she took her pen and scribbled a few notes on a sheet of paper. "Yeah, so that means it was a success then." She glared at Sakura once again, not fully understanding why her apprentice would say they failed their mission.

"But Baa-Chan, the killer was hired by the guy we tracked down. The killer turned out to be Teme!" Naruto added in on the conversation, throwing his hands up in the air trying to show Tsunade that there was more to the mission than they thought.

Tsunade stopped writing down information at the mention of the traitor. She hadn't heard anything of the Uchiha's activities, but hearing that he was involved in the mission did grab her attention.

"Go on." She motioned to Naruto, while placing her paper down on her desk and laced her fingers together while placing them under her chin.

"Well we followed this guy, named Tabito, outside the Club. After Kakashi, Sakura-Chan, and I cornered him he revealed his plan to us." Naruto finished.

Tsunade sat straight up in her chair and scribbled a few more notes. "Then what? You are going to give me a full mission report right here and now. It will make it easier on me and you." Tsunade finished while grabbing a few more sheets of paper.

"Tabito told us about how he was using the club owner, Sara, for fame status. He hired Sasuke to kill a few of the staff members, causing more celebrities to show up at the Club because of the murders. The celebrities came to the Club because they were curious about the place and with all the celebrities there Tabito was trying to get in with them." Sakura informed Tsunade.

Tsunade nodded her head, making her blonde locks shake as she did so. "So Sasuke did the dirty work for the popularity craving man. Why?"

"We are guessing for the money or he could have thought that the Akatsuki would be there." Kakashi informed.

Tsunade looked up from her paper and felt the world stop. Why were the Akatsuki there? She knew the mission was going to be a different than the two young ninja's were use too, but the Akatsuki being there was unexpected.

"How many were there?" She asked.

"Six…" Sakura started to say until she heard Tsunade growl.

"You are telling me that all the members were there?! Why the hell were they there?!" Tsunade shouted, not at them intentionally, she was just too shocked to stay calm.

At the mention as why the whole entire organization was there, Sakura felt herself stiffen. _'This is it. This is the time that I finally tell everyone my secret. Wish me luck Anri.'_

Anri stood in Sakura's mind with a smile on her face. _**"Good luck Sakura-Chan."**_

Sakura was about to thank Anri for the encouragement, but she stopped her thoughts after hearing Naruto's explanation.

"Once we found out that Teme was the killer, all of a sudden the Akatsuki showed up. They talked about a Demon Tamer and saying that it was Kakashi-Sensei. What is the Demon Tamer anyways?" Naruto suddenly asked after his rant of news he was telling the Hokage.

Tsunade drifted her amber eyes to Kakashi. "They think that you are the legendary Demon Tamer?"

Kakashi nodded his head. "But I don't think I am it." Kakashi continued to explain. "Hokage-Sama, if I was the Demon Tamer, I would have already known it."

Tsunade nodded her head. "This is true, but for the Akatsuki to get their information wrong, the real Demon Tamer covered up their trail very well."

Naruto looked back and forth between the two veterans ninja's with a confused face, while Sakura sat up very still in her chair, listening intently to the conversation.

"So you don't believe that I am the Demon Tamer as well?" Kakashi asked, almost with relief.

Tsunade shook her head from side to side. "No I don't. The Akatsuki may have thought that you were the one because you were put in charge of Naruto while he was a Genin."

Kakashi nodded his head while Naruto was about to blow his top. No one was telling him who the Demon Tamer was.

'_What is a Demon Tamer anyways?! Why are they so important?!'_

"What is a Demon Tamer?!" Naruto yelled, getting impatient.

Tsunade and Kakashi turned their heads towards Naruto to see him about to jump out of his seat and his blue eyes flicker with anger.

"A Demon Tamer...there is one every one thousand years. The Tamer has unmistakeable chakra control, making the ability to calm down the Demon's chakra an easy task. With a single touch of the chakra any Demon can go from a raging animal to a relaxed one. The chakra sends the Demon's to a state of peacefulness. With the unbelieveable chakra control that the Tamer possesses it makes transfering normal chakra into demonic chakra, which is how the Demons are able to calm down so easily and very fast." Sakura said in an all knowing tone.

Naruto, Kakashi, and Tsunade turned their attention to the pink haired girl sitting down on the cushioned seat. Naruto felt understanding flow through him, Kakashi felt his suspicions resurface, and Tsunade raised a single blonde brow towards her apprentice.

"How do you know that Sakura?" Tsunade asked, while continuing to write down all the information that Sakura just shared.

'_I heard of the Demon Tamer being able to calm down a raging Demon, but what Sakura said was so much more than I have ever heard before.' _Tsunade thought to herself as she looked over her student and the explanation that was given.

"Yeah Sakura-Chan, where did you hear that from?" Naruto asked.

Sakura felt a sigh escape her pink lips. Now was the moment of truth. Her head rose to meet the glazes of her Sensei's and best friend.

"All the information I just told you was told to me by the Demon sealed in the scroll I handed to you Tsunade-Shinshou."

Naruto looked between the two powerful women and watched as shock crossed the Hokage's features.

Tsunade opened up her robes and pulled out the scroll. She never did find a secure place for the scroll yet and with all the paperwork that she had she never got around to finding a place for the scroll. When Tsunade placed the scroll on the table Kakashi felt his single eye widen a fraction.

'_It's the scroll that held Sakura in a trance, so the Demon told Sakura about the Demon Tamer...'_

"So there is another Demon that the Akatsuki hasn't caught yet?" Naruto asked.

Tsunade nodded her head. "Yes, that is why I am stuck on what to do with this scroll….and along the fact that all this damn paperwork is getting in my way." She growled out the last part while glaring at the overtowering mounds of paperwork.

_'Sometimes i wonder if the Gods are just mocking me with these loads of paperwork.' _Tsunade thought as she watched Kakashi eyed the old scroll.

Kakashi examined the scroll on Tsunade's desk. It looked just like had when he first saw it. The scroll still had its fragile looking paper with a light blue string tied around it. Kakashi remembered reading those hypnotic words when they tried to save Sakura from the cluches of the Demon. "Sakura…" Kakashi started to say.

Emerald eyes moved towards Kakashi with a questionable look. "Yes Kakashi?"

"So this scroll told you all about the Demon Tamer? Why?" Kakashi asked her causing both Tsunade and Naruto to wonder the same thing.

"Yeah that's a very good question Kakashi." Tsunade added in and she turned her attention back to Sakura. "Answer the question Sakura." Tsunade instructed as she watched the debate that ran through Sakura's head for a few seconds.

Sakura felt the world freeze all around her. She wasn't sure how they would react to her new role in the ninja world, and somehow she felt that all her priviliges would dwindle down, but she had to tell them who she was, otherwise they could be in serious danger. Something she would never wish upon her beloved family.

"Anri, that's the Demon's name, told me this because….." There was dead silence throughout the room; the tension was high waiting for the answer to the serious question. Sakura took a huge sigh and continued on after her dramatic pause. "……I am the Demon Tamer…."

The room was so silent that a pin drop could be heard. Sakura studied everyone's reaction towards her statement. Tsunade stared at her with unreadable eyes, while Kakashi stood there was realization crossing his face, and Naruto….well…..he was shocked beyond belief.

"Sakura-Chan….how come you are the Demon Tamer?" Naruto asked. "I mean, remember when we were Genin and Teme and I were fighting Haku? The Kyuubi came out and I didn't see you trying to stop it." Naruto told her gently.

Sakura felt herself stiffen at his words. She remembered all too well about how weak she was during her Genin days, but come on, she was a teenage girl. It was only human for her to think only about boys and appearances, it was the fact of life.

Kakashi and Tsunade stood right where they were and waited to hear Sakura's answer to the question. Sakura felt herself sighing, again, for the millionth time that evening. Her body went loose and fell back into the velvet chair causing herself to sink into its comfyness.

"I guess I'll start at the beginning then." Sakura said as she began to tell her dramatic story to her precious people.

Unbeknown to Sakura, Kakashi, Naruto, and Tsunade, they had an eavesdropper in the building. Throughout Team Seven's debriefing, the man stayed blending in with the wall color that ran through the Hokage's office.

He heard about their mission, how and why they thought the Uchiha's little brother was there, and about the Demon Tamer. He listened intently through the conversation about the describing of the Tamer, and was amazed to find that the pink haired woman knew a lot about the subject. What surprised him even more was when the pink haired woman admitted to being the chosen one that everyone was looking for.

After hearing that confession he, very stealthily, exited the Hokage's Tower and went hiding in a few trees that were just outside the village.

'_How pathetic. Konoha doesn't even notice when an enemy is running free throughout their village. What is even more surprising is how unguarded the Hokage's office is. To be able to speak freely in that woman's office is a display of weakness. But that girl….she is Tsunade's apprentice. Why didn't I see it before? No matter, I will wait until tonight to strike.' _Thought the spy as he camped out in the tree, waiting for the targeted chakra to begin its way towards its home.

_'But to have the girl know so much abotu the Demon Tamer it is only reasonable that she really is who she says she is. I mean, why would you want to bestow that kind of title upon you without it being true. Although she could be lying...but then again, the fact that the three of them disappeared from six Akatsuki is hard to believe as well.' _Thought the man again as he continued to wait for his target.

Tsunade's office was filled with Sakura's voice, she was telling her story with as much detail as possible. Minus the fact that she fell in love with Itachi, it wasn't they could know about…...yet that is. While her story went on, scribbling of pen meeting paper was heard as well. Tsunade wrote all the important details as Sakura went through her story. With the new found information that Sakura was the Tamer, things were going to have to change around Konoha.

Kakashi felt pride and sadness for his only female student. The fact that the woman could calm down any raging Demon was amazing yet dangerous at the same time. If news was ever released that Sakura was indeed the one and only Demon Tamer, the Akatsuki would be after both Naruto and Sakura.

Naruto, on the other hand, was worried for her safety. After her Genin days, he felt that Sakura and him were getting closer. He never did blame her for the way she acted when she was younger; it was only natural for girls her age. As she went through her story he felt flashbacks flying through his head. He remembered the pink haired teen that helped him gain the confidence that he holds so dear till this day and now he realized that it was Sakura. With her story progressing, he was able to piece together all his unanswered questions. It really amazed him as how much Sakura helped him and even Sasuke even if it was only mentally and not physically. He just wondered if Sasuke remembered Sakura's good deeds as well.

After two hours of explaining her story, and questions, Tsunade nodded towards her and cleared her throat.

"Well Sakura, I must say that is an interesting story. For right now I want all three of you to get some rest. Now that we finally know who the Tamer is, Sakura, I am afraid that you are only aloud on certain missions."

Sakura nodded her head in agreement. "Hai Tsunade-Shinshou." It wasn't like she wasn't use to it. She would only sometimes go on missions only because of her medical skills were greatly needed her in the village.

"As for you Naruto, I think I am going to have to dwindle down your missions as well. I can't have the Akatsuki getting a hold of either one of you."

Sakura could tell the amount of hurt that Naruto felt once those words left Tsunade's mouth, but with his head strong stubbornness, he accepted his fate with great maturity. "Hai."

"Kakashi, as for you, I am going to give you the ability to track down the Akatsuki and their activities, but for now, all three of you are going to go home and get some rest."

The three ninja's bowed deeply to their leader and exited the room. As the three ninja's walked the streets of Konoha, the mystery man felt his targeted chakra making their way home.

'_Let the games begin.'_

The tiny team walked together until Kakashi separated from the group. Sakura and Naruto watched and waved towards Kakashi as he made his way towards his apartment.

The two remaining ninja's walked in a comfortable silence towards their apartments.

"Wow Sakura-Chan I can't believe that you are the Tamer." Naruto said.

Sakura nodded her head and held a small smile. "I was just as shocked as you are when I found out as well."

Silence over took them once more as the mini conversation died down. Naruto felt uncomfortable by the silence and so did Sakura, for the both of them started to fidget in the silence.

"Hey Sakura-Chan…" Naruto started to say.

Sakura turned her head from the scenery and back towards her close friend. "Yeah Naruto?"

Naruto stopped walking and held her emerald eyes with his blue ones. "What was the past like?"

Sakura felt a happy smile plaster across her face. She still didn't get to share her interaction with the current Jonins that were once the Rookie Nine's Sensei's.

"It was interesting to say the least."

Naruto raised an eye brow towards her. "How so?" He couldn't wait to hear this.

"Well…." Sakura felt her smile grow bigger as memories flashed through her mind. "Ever imagined an Anko that had a crush on Kakashi?"

Sakura watched as Naruto's jaw dropped to the ground. Next was the disgusted shutter of disturbance that rushed through his body, causing Sakura to giggle at his reaction.

"You are kidding me right?! Anko liked Kakashi-Sensei?!"

Sakura felt herself giggle a little harder at Naruto's sudden realization. "Yup! And you want to know what else?"

Naruto shook his head wildly waiting to hear her encounters with the older ninja, but before Sakura continued on with the fun side of her journey, the two of them sat down on a bench.

"What else did you find out Sakura-Chan?" Naruto was truly curious about what else Sakura could of found out.

"Remember how Lee was in love with me during our Genin days?" Sakura waited until she saw the shutter from Naruto again. She always knew Naruto was a little creped out by the green beast of Konoha. "Well imagine Gai like that!"

Naruto thought for a minute until he felt his whole body laughing at the realization of Gai serenading to Sakura and saying how much of a lovely spirit of youth she was.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha! Oh that's rich Sakura-Chan! That's rich!"

Sakura laughed along with Naruto after he told her about his mental picture of a 16 year old Gai acting like a 13 year old Lee around girls.

"Oh but Naruto don't forget! You were adorible when you were younger too!" Sakura said with a cute face.

Sakura watched as his face heated up wtih embaressment. He remembered the time Sakura fell asleep in his bed, bathed him, and changed him. She was the one that inspired him to be attracted to the color orange.

"Ah, Sakura-Chan! How embaressing!" He said while trying to banish his blush away, causing Sakura to chuckle a little more. "What about Teme?! I'm sure he had some moments too!"

Sakura's smile got even bigger at the mention of Sasuke's name. Sure she was sad that he attacked Naruto in the forest, and after she told Naruto about the fight Naruto was even more irked, but she still couldn't help but laugh at how cute and innocient both him and Naruto were at the young age of five.

"You sure you can handle it Naruto?" Sakura asked teasingly, causing Naruto to beg her to tell him some dirt on the bastard.

"Ok, ok. Well let's just say that Sasuke didn't like the fact that tunder and lightning made so much noise." Sakura said with a wink.

Naruto almost fell out of the bench laughing uncontrollably. "Ha, ha, ha!" Was all Naruto could muster out of himself as he rolled on the grass in laughter.

After Naruto got himself together and Sakura made sure that her friend calmed down enough to strike up a conversation once again, the two shared tons of laughs once again. Sakura revealed to Naruto Kakashi's fears and how Anko would always try to flirt with him. Then they would talk about Gai and his adventures. Sakura and Naruto talked on the bench till it was pitch black.

_'Amazing how much time flys when you finally have time to catch up on the past with Naruto. He always has a way with making everything so carefree.' _Sakura thought as she watched his blonde head look up at the starry sky. She looked up too and watched as the stars twinkled in all their glory.

"Sorry Sakura-Chan but I have to go. I'm really tired. It was awesome hanging out with you again!" Naruto said, bringing his attention back. The two then hugged each other and parted ways.

Sakura stood by the bench and waved at Naruto's disappearing back. After Sakura couldn't see him anymore, she continued on her way towards her apartment. It has been so long since she has actually spent some time in her own bed, she was bounced form one mission to another and now she could finally relax.

The mystery man followed the chakra from an incredible distance away, making sure the victim wouldn't have a chance to detect him. His target wouldn't know what hit them once he popped up in their apartment.

Once inside the apartment, Sakura found herself drowning herself in warm water from the shower. After her refreshing shower, she brushed her wet pink hair, cliped it up in a bun, and got dressed in a light pink sports bra with black smooth boxers.

"Ah much better." Sakura said out loud to herself as she hid a few weapons under her black boxers that reached all the way down to her knees.

_'No wonder men like boxers better than briefs.' _Sakura thought with a chuckle.

She made her way towards her kitchen and poured herself a glass of iced tea. "Ahhh." Sakura said in content as she cold tea was swallowed down her throat.

She then made her way towards her couch in the living room while continuing to take tiny sips out of her cup. While on the way to the couch she felt a pair of eyes on her back, sending chills up her spine.

Having her exhausted, yet still sharp, ninja senses kick in, she spun around on the ball of her foot and stared at her kitchen window. She eyed it from far away until she decided to check it out. Slowly she walked towards the window and stuck her head outside. The cool summer breeze went gliding across her face, causing her to smell the summer air.

Deciding that there was nothing outside, she spun back around and continued back towards her couch. As she turned around she bumped into a solid chest.

"What the…." Sakura looked up only to see a black and red clouded cloak.

Her senses went on high alert as she threw the cup at the man, causing him to block it with his hand, cutting right through the cloak and making a few scratches on his arm.

Before the man could even grab Sakura, she jumped out the window and ran up to the roof of the apartment complex. She saw too many horror movies where the girls never got the hell away from their murderer.

The cloaked man followed Sakura to towards the roof and the two stood there. It was much like a Wild Wild West, but without the guns of course.

"What do you want?" Sakura shouted while trying to slip into a defensive position.

'_My body can't take much more of this. I still need to recover from the two back to back battles from the mission.'_

The cloaked man stood there without moving. Emerald eyes watched as a piece of his cloak moved very slightly. Before Sakura could react, two needles went flying towards her and down she went.

As Sakura was lying down on the ground, the cloaked man came up to Sakura and lifted her up over his shoulder.

"Never have I had my information jumbled up like that. You made a fool out of me woman, and I don't appreciate that, but now we will be even. You made me look like an idiot in front of my team and I'll take you away from your home."

With that the mystery man jumped off the roof of the apartment complex and made his way towards the base. Every so often he would cast a glance at the sleeping woman.

'_A medic ninja and she can't even tell when a needle dipped in sleeping powder is being thrown towards her.'_

He glanced a little longer at the pink haired woman once he was farther away from Konoha. The place may not have a well guarded security, but he will admit, but they did have some powerful ninja. A prime example would be the Uchiha that was part of the organization.

'_To think that a mire woman like you would be the Demon Tamer, it's preposterous…..who would of ever thought that a weak woman like you would be able to calm down blood thirsty killers? It blows my mind.'_

And the two continued to disappear into the night, not one of them looking back. Sure one of them was asleep, but that didn't matter. What mattered to our mystery man was the fact that he was able to get back to the base and receive all the credit in finding the Tamer.

Poor Sakura, she has no idea what she is about to get herself into.

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**author's Note: I hope you all forgive the amount of time it took for this story to post a new chapter. Since school is back again, I will be able to be on a more consistent schedule than I normally am during the summer.**

**Please tell me if there is anything wrong or if there are any ideas out there, I love hearing new ideas!**


	21. Chapter 21

_**Author's Notes: **__**400 reviews?! I'm speechless!! I love every single one of you that has reviewed to this story. For all those constant reviewers, you have a special place in my heart. It shows your dedication to this story and it brings a tear to my eye! You all are such awesome readers and I am happy to have you all reading this story! And I am not saying that! I try to make all my replies to your reviews as personal as possible. What I mean is, is that I don't say the same thing to everyone. **_

_**To honor the 400 review mark, the most I have EVER gotten for one story and more than I EVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE, here is a AWESOME CHAPTER!**_

_**And by the way, for everyone who guessed who it was that captured Sakura, thank you all for your wonderful guesses, this chapter will reveal who it was that captured Sakura! **_

_**Enjoy!!**_

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Her body was shivering and a revolting smell entered her nose. These were the first sensations that Sakura woke up to.

"Ugh….." Sakura groaned, as she tried to lift herself up into a sitting position, causing her to wince in pain.

Her body was as stiff as a board, refusing to listen to her brain telling the muscles to form a sitting position. Emerald eyes were covered by long lashes as Sakura blinked away the drowsiness she felt. Once she was fully awake, she noticed that she was sitting on a rocky surface.

'_What the hell?' _Sakura looked down at the floor only to see small blood stains blending in with the rocky surface that she assumed was a floor. _'How did I get here? Where exactly is "here"?"_

Before Sakura even tried to stand up, she stretched out her legs, arms, back, and everything else in-between. Her body felt a little bit better, but what surprised her was that she wasn't injured like she thought she would be.

'_I think I have watched too many scary movies for my own good.' _Sakura thought while shaking her head trying to get ride of the scary thoughts that processed through her mind.

"_**Sakura-Chan! Thank god you are awake!" **_Anri said while she launched herself at Sakura and hugged her tightly. Sakura couldn't help but stare as a small tear escaped out of the corner of her eye.

'_Anri…' _Sakura thought while she tried to comfort the Demon that was attached to her side. _'It's ok. See?' _Sakura stood up on her two feet and slowly walked around her mind, showing Anri she was alright. _'I'm fine. No broken bones or anything.'_

Anri stayed completely still while she watched Sakura walk around her mind and also could see that she was walking around the room as well. _**"Sakura-Chan you don't understand! You are in grave danger here!"**_

Sakura stopped dead in her tracks and eyed Anri with suspicious eyes. How did she know where they were? _'You know where we are?'_

The Demon went gloomy and sighed, slowly nodding her head, causing her silver hair to sway in the way of her shaking head. _**'I have failed brothers and sisters. Sakura-Chan I am sorry, I am a failure. I can't even protect you and I'm a Demon! What is wrong with me?!'**_

Sakura watched as Anri receded to her own world. It was strange to see the Demon daydreaming, but as Sakura looked closer, she could see the deep disappointment that was evident in her ice blue eyes.

'_Anri, what's wrong?' _Sakura asked as she placed a hand on the Demon's shoulder.

Anri looked at Sakura with her ice blue eyes and sighed. _**"I'm sorry Sakura-Chan. I was supposed to protect you from them and I couldn't even do that."**_

Sakura raised a slim pink brow towards Anri. _'Are you talking about the people that kidnapped me?'_

Anri nodded her head. _**"How the Akatsuki knew to follow you and your team into the Hokage's office and eavesdrop is beyond me. The man is a genius with gathering research. But the fact that I sensed him and didn't tell you…..what is wrong with me?!"**_

Sakura felt all her breath escape her lungs everything else Anri said after the Akatsuki and how they found her escaped Sakura. The fact that the Akatsuki was in her village worried her. They were able to enter Tsunade's office without causing any suspicion? That was when Sakura felt herself start to loose her lunch.

'_That means they heard everything I said. This means they know who I am, hence why I am probably in their base right now. I need to get out of here pronto! No way am I going to stand here and wait for them to do what ever they are going to do to me!'_

Anri felt Sakura get up and when her ice blue eyes meet emerald, she saw the blazing determination flashing through them. It amazed the Demon how much this one human possessed such an endless amount of determination, even when everything seemed hopeless.

'_**What are you going to do Sakura-Chan?'**_

Sakura smiled brightly at Anri and shrugged her shoulders. _'At this point I don't know. First I need to figure out if there is anyone on the other side of this door, see if it is locked, and then figure out where the hell I am in this base.'_

Anri felt her depression slowly leave her. She reached inside her sky blue dress and pulled out a medallion that Nobu gave her. _**"Sakura-Chan, before you start to stir up trouble, take this."**_

Anri placed the medallion in Sakura's hands. Sakura watched as the silver gold chain fell in her grasp. Blue eyes watched her as she ogled at the piece of jewelry; many colors circled the round pendent, and it made Sakura become lost for words.

'_What is this?'_

Anri smiled at her. _**"Each color stands for a different Demon. If you ever end up in trouble, while you try to escape this hell, just call your chakra to it and leave the rest of it to us."**_

Sakura smiled brightly at Anri, hugged the living daylights out of her, and clasped the medallion around her neck. _'Thank you so much Anri and if you ever see Nobu again can you tell him thank you? Along with the rest of the Demons that are helping me?'_

Anri nodded her head with assertiveness and then rippled away from Sakura's mind. With growing determination to get the hell out of the smelly dungeon, she turned her attention to the cell and a devious plan started to form in her head.

'_They won't know what hit them! Ha! That is what you get for messing with Haruno Sakura!'_

Meanwhile, on the other side of the base, a meeting was being held. The room held a oversized desk stacked, very neatly, with papers and other supplies. The man behind the desk was concealed by shadows presented all through his office. Standing right next to him was a woman with the typical Akatsuki cloak concealing her form. In front of the two people were the six Akatsuki members. Every one of them was standing around in a circle, half wondering why they were hear and the other half had an idea of what the urgent meeting was about.

"Why did you bring everyone to my office Zetsu?" Asked the man obscured by shadows.

Zetsu bowed deeply towards the man. "Leader, I know it may seem too soon for me to assume this, but I have concrete evidence that supports my accusations."

The woman on the side of the Leader stared at Zetsu with emotionless eyes. "Get to the point already." She said with a bit of a bone chilling edge to it.

The Leader held up his hand towards the woman and she returned to her docile state. "Konan let Zetsu explain."

Konan growled and nodded her head. "Yes Sir."

The remaining five members waited impatiently for Zetsu to continue with his big announcement. Zetsu bowed deeply, once again, towards the Leader, Pein, and cleared his throat.

"I have found out who the Demon Tamer is." He simply said, hiding his ego-filled smirk in the process.

Pein stared unnervingly at Zetsu; Konan shot a look of indifference towards the man, while everyone else behind Zetsu waited patiently to hear what he was going to tell their leader. Only a few of the members agreed with theory about the Hakate being the Tamer, and the others felt that the theory wasn't developed enough to tell the Leader.

"How?" Pein asked narrowing his eyes towards the man.

"I followed them back to their village and collected information there."

Konan didn't believe Zetsu, how could their leader not find the Demon Tamer and he could? It didn't piece together right. "Where is the Tamer from?" She asked.

"Konoha." Zetsu simply said. Waiting for more questions to be launched at him.

Everyone in the room could hear their Leader's chair being pulled out away from him, for the legs of the chair screeched against the floor. He still masked himself with the shadows, but they could see his shadow walking towards Zetsu.

Zetsu felt all his nerves form a knot inside him. The Leader's presence was always scary when he was this close to your personal space. The shadow stopped a few feet in front of Zetsu and Zetsu could feel his piercing glaze down on him. No matter how many times the Uchiha would unleash his infamous glares, even though they were extremely daunting, they could never hold a candle to what their Leader's glare did.

"Explain yourself Zetsu. You do know the consequences if you are lying." He blankly said.

Zetsu nodded his head, not showing his nervousness and frightened state to the whole organization. He made his face as calm as usual and began his explanation.

"When you sent us to Lightning Country, I was able to get a few suspects on who it could possibly be. We came across the Kyuubi and his team…."

'_The Demon boy and Hakate were there? Interesting. Why were they there?' _The Leader thought while he listened to Zetsu's story.

"…..after they left, I had a hunch to follow them."

Zetsu watched as a arm raised itself in the air, silencing his story. "Why didn't any of you try to capture the Kyuubi?"

"Come on Leader, the Demon prick had the lazy man and some hot babe with him." Hidan said bluntly.

Hidan felt the Leader's eyes staring right through him, causing him to feel uncomfortable as well.

"And? You are Akatsuki. You can handle a little girl and an old man." He strained his voice, trying to hide how angry he was at his oblivious followers.

"But Leader….." Deidara stopped talking once he felt the deadly glare on him.

"No. There is no excuse for not capturing the Demon when you had the chance." He said.

"Leader, Tobi is a good boy, but Tobi thinks the woman was different than normal shinobi Tobi has seen." Tobi ranted off, trying to make the mood better.

The Leader felt his eye brows rise up, but they couldn't see it, of course. "Explain Tobi." His voice returning to his impassive tone.

Tobi shrugged his shoulders and continued on with the story. "Tobi saw that the woman did some jutsu, but Tobi didn't recognize it." He said, not wanting to say that her and her teammates escaped. That would cause them to get in even more trouble and Tobi doesn't like getting his Leader angry.

"What type of Jutsu?"

This time Kisame entered the conversation. "The little woman was forming seals at a leisurely pace. It's not every day a ninja casually runs through hand signs, especially with Itachi and his Sharingan."

"Yeah, so?" Konan said with an annoyed tone added at the end. Everyone knew never to run through their jutsu's casually. Period, end of story. It gives your opponent time to figure out what element jutsu it could be.

"The babe went through the damn seals like it was not a big deal we would see what she was summoning." Hidan said.

"Or she could have thought that we couldn't copy it." Kisame said.

The Leader didn't say anything as all possibilities ran through his head. _'Kisame is right on one thing, but the girl is Tsunade's apprentice. What jutsu could she possibly know that she doesn't think no one can copy?'_

"Itachi, can you copy the move?"

Itachi's glowing red eyes scanned the room to see everyone waiting for his answer. His answer would determine how the rest their Leader's mood would be. If he told them that he couldn't copy it, which he couldn't, then their Leader would be even more furious. He would step up their mission count and everything else. Something none of his teammates and himself would enjoy.

But before Itachi could give his answer, they heard a voice from the other side of the door. The five members exchanged confused looking between each other, while the Leader and Konan sent a look to each other.

"Leader-Sama…..." Said the voice from the outside of the door.

The Leader felt irritated that a low ranking servant would have the guts to interrupt his meeting. He felt his anger snap and knew what he was going to do to the poor boy. "Come in." He said in a very bloodcurdling voice, causing everyone to question what their Leader was going to do to the poor Chunnin.

A poof was seen in the room and a boy about the age of fifteen entered the room. He was one of the servants that would watch the dungeons, interrogate the prisoners, and would clean the whole base. The fifteen year old stood in the room, clearly showing his discomfort from the look his Leader was giving him.

"I'm sorry Leader-Sama, for interrupting your meeting..." his brown eyes looked up at the shadow causing him to return his glaze to the floor immediately after. Even though he couldn't see the Leader's face, the vibe he was giving out was a dead give away that he was a dead man if he didn't come up with a good excuse. "…..but there has been a breach in the security system."

The Leader raised an eyebrow towards the teenaged boy. "What kind of security breach?"

The teen gulped down his nerves and continued on with his sentence. "A prisoner in the dungeon escaped and now the security system around the base is down."

"How can the fucking security system be down?! We are underground you shit head! No one in here besides you freaks now how to disarm it!" Hidan shouted, but calmed down once the Leader held his arm up to calm down the vulgar ninja.

"Which prisoner?" The Leader asked, while trying to narrow down the culprits that would be smart enough to shut down the security system and who would be dumb enough to try to escape, but most of their prisoner's were neither.

"The new one that came in last night." The teen said timidly.

The Leader glared at the boy. _'What new prisoner….wait a minute.' _His attention was brought back to Zetsu. "Is this you're doing?"

Zetsu felt the uncomfortable feeling float around his stomach. Oh boy was he in for it now. "Yes. I brought the Tamer in last night and shoved them in the first heavily made cell I could find."

The teen watched as his Leader walked up towards Zetsu, still being concealed by the darkness, and lifted Zetsu up by his collar. Never before has he seen his leader like this, sure he would threaten him and his friends if they screwed up a job, but everyone thought that the boss treasured his six main shinobi. Apparently only sometimes….

"You brought him here?! You never crossed this with me. Did you even drain his chakra?!" The Leader yelled.

Zetsu felt his skin crawling up his arm. When his leader was mad, and actually showed it, he knew he was in trouble. "I'm sorry Master, but I figured I would bring them here before I missed my window of opportunity."

Before Pein could even lay a finger on Zetsu, one of the servants went flying through his office door, knocking it down and sending the Jonin level man right into Pein's concrete desk, causing the desk to break in half.

'_What is going on in here?' _Pein thought as he and everyone else in the room turned their heads towards the hole in the door.

While this meeting was taking place, Sakura was able to finally agree on a plan. She walked over to the stone door and examined it with keen eyes; looking for any cracks in the stone it would be easier than trying to unlock the door.

'_Who ever captured me really is an idiot. Every kidnapper knows that you either poison the captive, like they do in the movies, or they drain a ninja's chakra. Common sense people! But no matter…. their lose, my gain!'_

With that final thought, Sakura took a deep breath, drew her arm as far back as she could go, and punched right where the tiny crack in the stone was. Her inhuman strength allowed her to knock down the stone door with a single punch, causing it to crumble under the pressure. After the door crumbled to the ground Sakura was attacked by three guards.

Sakura dodged each and every one of their kicks and punches. As she examined her opponents, she noticed that they were teenagers. _'Now why would a top killing organization like the Akatsuki keep their prisons guarded by teenagers?'_

In no time, Sakura knocked the three guards and dragged them in her cell. She then placed them all on top of each other and continued down the long hallway. She watched as some prisoners glared at her with envy, others snickered and started to talk about how she was going to die before she reached the end of the hallway.

'_What are they talking about?' _

Not being the patient woman that she should be, Sakura turned to one of the prisoners and her emerald eyes held a bit of a edginess to them.

"What are all you snickering at?" Sakura lowered her voice into a threatening tone. She did not like to be mocked and she did not like being clueless either.

The prisoner stared at her with frightening eyes. "They will come…."

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him and grasped his shirt with her hands, shaking him a little bit. "What are you talking about?"

The frightened man shook involuntarily and she saw another man inside the stall. Sakura let go for the man, feeling sorry for him, and turned her attention to the other man. "What about you?"

"You got guts girl, but let's see what happens to you when interrogation comes around."

Sakura got a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach, what ever the interrogation was, it didn't sound good. "What do you mean?"

The said man got up from the floor and shoved his face in the bars. His eyes shined as he eyed Sakura's revealed body up and down. She glared at the pervert, causing him to return his vision to her face.

"The interrogation is where everyone down here ends up. The newly arrived prisoners, like you, stay in the stone chambers. Then once you get an interrogation a couple of times, you work your way up to less guarded areas." He said right as he started to go in a coughing fit.

Sakura's medical trained eyes scanned the injured man as he coughed up blood. She could tell by the way he held onto his side and the way he walked over to her that he was in horrible condition. Him coughing up blood indicated internal organ bleeding, him holding onto his side meant his ribs were broken, and the fact that he could barely walk over to her told Sakura that his leg was broken in several places. His hoarse voice indicated that it was a hassle to even breathe.

'_What ever interrogation techniques they used on their prisoners it doesn't look pretty. No wonder they have Chunnin level ninja's watching over their prison. Why would they bother putting well skilled ninja when they can just basically kill their prisoners to the point that they can't do anything?'_

As Sakura scanned the cell, she noticed a dull blinking in the corner of the cell. Narrowing her eyes a little more, trying to figure out what it was, she noticed it was a video camera.

'_So they have less guards outside their door, but they are still being watched…..'_

Sakura felt a smirk slowly creep up her face. She was having another idea forming in her head; she was going to get back at these sadistic bastards for pushing these prisoners over the edge and then letting them sit here to slowly die.

'_But where would a main security camera be?'_

She turned away from the prisoners, now knowing why her cell probably smelled so horrid, and continued walking down the hallway. She blindly went down random hallways, hoping that if she went up any staircase she would get to something that doesn't look like a prison.

After three flights of stairs, Sakura found herself away from the smell of death and blood and was welcomed to the smell of fresh pine scent.

'_Who would have guessed that the Akatsuki would smell like fresh pine? Oh well, it's better than the prison I just came from.'_

As Sakura followed her sense of direction, which apparently was very good considering it got her this far in the lair, she saw a video camera surveying the hallway she was about to enter. Her plan flashed through her head once again and she went on her hands and knees, crawling along the floor until the camera couldn't see her.

Getting up on her feet, Sakura climbed up the wall with only her left side being attached to the wall, while she grabbed the security camera and disconnected it.

'_Ok now it is time for some real fun. First the wire goes over here, and then this one over there, followed by this yellow wire going in this plug.'_

As Sakura reassembled the video camera she couldn't help but smile at her job well done. She would have to thank Shino for teaching her how to reassemble certain electronics. Once the camera stopped blinking its red light at her, she jumped off the wall and continued down the hallway.

Further down the hallway, Sakura saw two oak doors to her left. She felt different chakra readings, but she couldn't dwell too much longer on it, for a bunch of ninja's jumped out from behind her and attacked her.

Sakura relayed on her instincts to dodge any hits she could. A mini fight ensued while Sakura threw every person that came at her, into a wall. One man came up behind her and had her in a head lock. Sakura stepped on his foot, grabbed his arms, and threw him right into the double oak doors that were now in front of her.

The man went flying through the doors causing a big hole in the doors. Sakura watched the man fly through the room and hit a concrete desk and cracked it in half.

'_Oopies….oh well.' _Sakura thought while shrugging it off that is until she saw eight heads turn her way. She felt her breath being caught in her throat. Right in that room stood the same six Akatsuki members that attacked her team, and two other people she have never seen before.

Before Pein could do anything the pink haired girl jumped over one of his guard's heads and ran right at them. Causing the two of them to fly in his office and his guard flying through the air, hitting the wall, causing a crater.

Zetsu stared wide eyed at the woman. She seemed so weak and helpless when he kidnapped her, and here she was now, creating craters all over Pein's office.

Deidara felt his mouth drop down to the ground, where the hell did she come from?! Tobi smiled at the girl, not knowing what else to do. Kisame watched as the little woman, from before, created the crater in the wall. Who would have thought a little woman could crack a concrete bench and create a fissure in the wall?

Hidan, on the other hand, was speechless. There was the pink haired babe again! But this time, she wasn't fully clothed; all she had was a sports bra on and guy's boxers.

'_Now I wonder where she got those….'_

He watched, inactivated, by the way her body looked. Her chest would rise and fall with every breath she would take, causing her boobs to follow suit. His eyes traveled from her fully developed chest, to her flat stomach. Being a ninja did have it perks when it came to a fit body, but what was a bonus was that she wasn't overly muscular like most woman ninja he has seen. Even with her inhuman punch it didn't affect the way she looked.

Itachi stood as still as stone. He felt himself grow angry with Zetsu. How dare he bring her to this place? And most importantly why was she only dressed in as little clothing as possible?! He could see Hidan ogling over her body, but he couldn't blame him. For her to have to ability to possess such strength and still look as delicate as a flower was marvelous. However, he did not like the fact that every male in the room had the pleasure of seeing her like this either. He didn't like to share what was his. If Hidan didn't stop soon, he was sure he was going to make him stop.

"Zetsu, what is the meaning of this?" Pein said as he turned his glaze to the said man.

Zetsu felt his promotion just in reach now. "This, Leader, is the Demon Tamer." He said pointing to Sakura, who was trying to catch her breath.

Pein narrowed his eyes towards the man and shook his head. "She doesn't look like it Zetsu….you better not be lying." Pein said in a threatening tone.

Zetsu shook his head. "No Master I assure you, this is the prisoner I kidnapped from Konoha. I heard her and…."

Sakura couldn't believe her ears. Her emerald eyes glared a hole in the back of Zetsu and when she heard him say he kidnapped her that was when she snapped. "EXCUSE ME?!"

Everyone in the room looked at Sakura and watched as she tightened her fists, revealing white knuckles to everyone. Zetsu felt a sweat drop in the back of head; the girl was very loud that was for sure.

"YOU ARE THE ONE THAT KNOCKED ME OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT?!" Sakura yelled.

Zetsu nodded his head and noticed his master watching the girl closely. "What are you going to do about it? You're only a woman."

Sakura felt her face scrunch up in disgust, so the man was sexist huh? She also noticed another female in the room; she seemed insulted by Zetsu's comment as well.

"Zetsu, I suggest you rethink what you just said." Konan said getting ready to wash the floor with Zetsu.

Zetsu felt Konan's anger in her voice and only glared at her. She was weak too, no matter how much respect his master had for the woman, all women were weak it has always been that way.

"No. What I say is true and that is that." Zetsu said.

Before Sakura could process what she was doing, she saw herself charging towards Zetsu and aimed a punch at his face. Zetsu simply dodged it and flipped her backwards.

Sakura was in such a rage that she wasn't thinking rationally, everything she did was unprocessed thoughts, causing Zetsu to throw her on the ground. She wouldn't give up and kept charging towards him, but before the girl killed herself, Pein stopped this little game.

He held onto Sakura, while she squirmed around in his hold. For a little girl she was really strong, as demonstrated by her punches and the fact that she was somewhat throwing off his balance.

Itachi watched the whole thing with a unreadable expression, but on the inside, he wanted to pluck her out of Pein's hold and keep her all to himself. He was going to have a talk with her once she was alone.

"Enough." Pein said in a military sergeant like tone, causing Zetsu to stop, but not Sakura. She still continued to thrash in his hold not caring that his voice sent a shiver of fear up her spine.

Pein lowered his head towards her ear and whispered very softly to her. "If you do not stop little one, I will make sure that you end up like the prisoners down in the dungeon." He said in a vicious tone.

Sakura felt her blood run cold, she remembered the prisoners in the cellars and she would be damned if anything like that happened to her. But his words, they felt so merciless and truthful that she stopped struggling in his arms and went limp. She noticed Itachi staring at her and she couldn't help but wonder what exactly he was thinking. She never did figure out exactly everything he would be thinking about.

"What are we going to do with her Leader?" Deidara asked.

Pein dropped Sakura out of his arms, causing her to fall on her butt, but she shot up to her feet before anything could happen to her. He circled around her and gave her a calculating look every step of the way.

"Zetsu….what exactly did you hear about this one?"

Zetsu cleared his throat and proceeded to tell his Leader about Sakura's identity and how he heard it. As Zetsu told his story he watched Pein's face for any indication that he was satisfied with his work, which was a fruitless effort, considering Pein never revealed what he was thinking.

Pein turned his attention, once again, from Zetsu to Sakura. He looked her in the eyes and watched as she glared ten fold at him, causing him to chuckle very lowly.

"You have spunk, I'll give you that." He said while she continued to glare at him, showing no signs of being afraid of him. "So if you are the Tamer, than we better find you better accommodations than what you woke up to."

Sakura felt her composure drop. He was going to actually give her a room? A place with four walls, a comfy bed, and a bathroom with a toilet, shower, sink, and it doesn't have the smell of blood?! What was going on here?

"What?! Why the hell would you be trying to make me feel welcomed to this shit hole?!" Sakura shouted at Pein.

Pein smirked as she yelled in his face. If it was one of his followers he would have killed them on the spot, but she was the Demon Tamer. If he killed her, then it would be impossible to save his wonderful creation.

"Well little one, if you are going to be helping us out, you need to be on equal turf like the rest of the members in this room." Pein said.

Sakura felt herself wanting to laugh at him, but felt that if she did, it would not end well.

"Who said I would even help you?!"

Pein caught her face with his hand, causing Itachi to narrow his eyes ever so slightly, and creased it with his thumb.

"Does it look like you have any choice little one? No one will find you and now that we know what you are capable of, your chakra will be drained. The odds are against you."

Sakura watched as his thumb traced over her lips, as the rested against her soft pink lips she opened her mouth and bite his thumb. Sakura watched in victory as he started to bleed and wince ever so slightly at the slight pain.

She watched as he glared at her and then a small evil smile creped on his face. "Oh you will be a fun guest indeed."

Sakura stuck her tongue out at him and tried to punch him in the face, but he caught her small fist with great ease.

Pein turned his attention to Konan and motioned her over. "Konan, take her to her new room. Make sure she is dressed appropriately and everything she needs are in the room."

Konan growled at the order being given but complied. She grabbed Sakura's arm and dragged her to the room.

While Konan and Sakura were walking to her new room, Pein went over the new rules pertaining to Sakura's captivity. The last thing Sakura could see was them all looking at her as she was dragged away. She concentrated on Itachi's face, only to see him staring right back. As her eyes scanned his body she could see him shoving his tightened fists in the cloaks pockets.

"Come, on. Keep moving." Konan said.

Sakura picked up her pace and followed Konan through the many twists and turns of the lair. As the only two woman walked in silence, Sakura couldn't help but want to start a conversation with her. And being the person that she was, Sakura didn't really enjoy the quietness anyways.

"So who are you?" Sakura asked, figuring it was a safe question to ask.

Konan didn't turn around and growled out the answer. "I'm a member just like everyone else. Nothing more, nothing less."

Sakura felt bad for the girl. _'It has to suck being the only woman in a base full of men….what am I talking about?! You know how much fun you could have?' _As Sakura watched Konan's back she figured she wasn't the type of person that would do that.

"Uh….what is it like to be the only girl here?" Sakura tried again.

Konan sighed; her energy was calming down a bit, now that they were a good hundred feet from the men.

"It sucks. All these bastards belittle me because I'm a woman." Konan said. "Well mainly Zetsu, he is their leader."

Sakura was truly surprised that she answered. _'Maybe she just asks that way around men.'_

"I take it that playing cold is just for show?" Sakura said, now walking beside Konan and not behind her.

Konan looked to her right and shyly nodded her head. "Yeah. If I don't act cold then they wouldn't care what I have to say. That's why I act so emotionless and sadistic."

Sakura ran in front of Konan and flashed her a smile. "Well don't worry! You can act normal around me. You know, us being girls and everything."

Konan smiled a small smile towards the energetic pink haired girl. _'Isn't she supposed to hate us because we took her away from her village? She is just too friendly to be a ninja.'_

Sakura went back to Konan's side and the two continued walking to her new room. Sakura knew that she was suppose to be hating these people, but maybe if she befriended one of them, she could heal all their sorrows and pain. Maybe it was her doctor position taking over, trying to heal everything that was broken, but it didn't matter. This other woman beside her needed a friend and if she could turn around an Akatsuki member, she would have done the impossible.

"You going to tell me your name now?" Sakura asked again.

Konan nodded her head and smiled. "My name is Konan."

Sakura smiled brightly at the woman. "Nice to meet you Konan. My name is Sakura."

Konan nodded once again to the talkative ninja. It still amazed her that the girl was so talkative, but before long, the two arrived at Sakura's new bedroom.

Konan locked the door behind her and held a needle up towards Sakura. Sakura looked right a Konan and was deeply confused.

"Konan, what are you doing?"

"I'm sorry Sakura, but I have to do this…."

Sakura had a gut feeling of what was about to happen and before Sakura could knock the needle out of her hand, it was injected in her arm and Sakura felt herself become lightheaded. Sakura felt all her warm chakra leaving her. All that remained was a tiny pinch of chakra.

Before Sakura knew it, she fell unconscious and Konan placed her on her queen sized bed.

The needle was glowing blue, holding Sakura's precious chakra. Konan looked down at Sakura with regret.

'_I'm sorry Sakura. I wish I didn't have to drain your chakra, but it is orders. I am looking forward to talking more with you. I hope you are able to forgive me.'_

And with that, Konan carried the glowing needled back to Pein's office, closing and locking Sakura's door as she went.

* * *

TO

BE

CONTINUED!

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_**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**__** Ok first off let me inform everyone that I don't know how Konan's personality is. I read a few things on wikapedia, not the most reliable source in the world, and they told me that her character was not really known. So I portrayed her as a character I thought she was. If anyone has any information on her, please tell me. I don't like making OOC character; I feel that it ruins the story and everything else. So please do tell me if you know anything about her character.**_

_**I hope you all enjoyed that extremely long chapter! 20 pages people! 20 pages! There is my present for you! It took me all day to write it and I am extremely happy with the way it came out. This is my favorite chapter, by far! So much happened and there is more to come!!**_

_**Please keep reviewing! As you can see the more reviews the happier I was and the longer and better the chapter was! :)**_

_**THANKS SO MUCH!!**_

_**:)**_


	22. Chapter 22

_**Author's Notes: **__**I am truly sorry for the delayed posting. My computer likes to shut down on me when ever it damn well feels like it. As a future warning if I don't post like I normally do blame my fucked up computer.**_

_**On a better note, however, I would like to thank everyone who reviewed and who still have an interest in my story. Thanks so much I couldn't be happier!**_

_**Note: For those reviewers that are anonymous please give me your e-mail so I can thank you just like I thank all my other faithful reviewers! :) THANKS!!**_

_**NOW ENJOY!**_

* * *

Having a throbbing pain in the back of her head was not what Sakura was expecting to wake up to. Her room was filled with a groan as Sakura slowly turned over on her back and lifted herself up into a sitting position on the bed.

'_Ugh, what happened?' _Sakura thought, as she rubbed the back of her head with her hand, she called on her chakra hoping to heal the pounding head-ache but noticed that she had none.

'_I knew it!' _Sakura shouted as she mentally glared. Memories flashed through her head, as she replayed what happened in the past 24 hours. _'I wonder where Konan is now, I'm gonna need to have a word with that woman.'_

Eyes fluttered open revealing curious emerald eyes. They darted around the room with growing curiosity. Sakura looked down at the queen sized bed covered with insanely white covers. Next to the bed was a deep oak wood nightstand that had a digital clock and a lamp with a light brown shade. Her eyes then traveled to the rest of the room, which consisted of a built-in closet and a bookshelf filled with books. In the corner of the room there was a wooden desk with a tiny stool as a seat. The room was bland with color, only having cream colored walls, and now that she was fully awake she felt a shiver run up her spine.

'_God it's so cold in here…' _Sakura thought, clearly forgetting about her rage, as she felt another urge to shiver run up her spine. _'Why is it so cold in this place?!'_

She rubbed her arms with her hands trying to get warm, got up from the white bed, and made her way to the closet. _'Maybe there is something in there….'_

She moved gracefully over towards the closet. Once she opened the closet door, her mouth dropped down to the floor.

'_Do they seriously think I would wear this revolting thing?!' _Sakura glared at the piece of clothing and grabbed it off the hanger.

A knock was heard from the door and Sakura dropped the repulsive clothing down on the ground, made sure to step on it with her bare feet, while walking towards the door.

"Who is it?" Sakura asked, while trying to hold back her anger by clenching her teeth together.

There was no answer on the other side of the door, but the door slowly creaked open to reveal Konan on the other side of the door. All of Sakura's rage came floating to the surface one she saw Konan. Konan watched as Sakura glared at her, with an intensity she hasn't seen in a very long time.

"Good morning Sakura." Konan said as she placed the tray of food down on her nightstand, ignoring Sakura's glaze.

Sakura continued to glare, as she watched Konan move toward the empty nightstand, not answering Konan's question in the process.

Konan felt it odd for the pink haired woman to be so quiet, even in the short time she has talked to Sakura; she knew the girl didn't like it when things were quiet.

The Akatsuki robe swayed in the movement of Konan, as she turned around sharply. Black eyes met fiery emerald; the two stared at each other for a few minutes until Konan turned her attention to the black clothing on the ground.

"Now Sakura, you need to wear this all the time. This place gets very cold." Konan said, in a motherly tone, as she walked over to the clothing and picked it up.

Sakura felt her anger rise. "If you think I'm going to wear that disgusting piece of clothing you are wrong!" Sakura yelled, as her fists tightened. She may be without chakra but that didn't mean her powerful punches were no longer powerful. She didn't slave all those years under the Hokage to learn how to punch craters in the wall with just chakra!

'_Another person that thinks I only rely on chakra. I will have to prove them wrong, just like I did with Sasuke.'_

Konan calmly stared at Sakura and shook her head slightly, causing her blue hair to follow suit. "Sakura you will freeze to death if you don't put this on."

While the two women were having their dispute, they didn't realize the curious ears outside the door, eavesdropping on their conversation.

"I've never heard Konan keep a conversation with someone besides Pein." Kisame said to Itachi.

Itachi stood slouched up against the wall, not really caring what his teammate was saying. He was more concentrated on the conversation that was going on in the room.

"I'm not putting that robe on me even if it was the last thing on earth!" Sakura yelled at the top of her lungs, causing Kisame and Itachi to cringe at the loud outburst.

"Sakura please put on the robe." Konan said as she raised the Akatsuki robe towards Sakura.

Sakura couldn't take it anymore, if there was one thing that she inherited from her Sensei, besides becoming very tolerant around liquor, it would have to be her short temper.

Konan watched Sakura walk over to the stool that stood in front of the heavy desk in the corner of the room. Sakura plopped down on the stool and slouched up against the desk.

"Put on the robe Sakura." Konan said in a demanding tone.

"Now this is the Konan I'm used to." Kisame said, while a shiver ran up his spine. Unlike Zetsu, he respected Konan and her power; she was down right scary when she wanted to be.

Itachi felt his muscles twitch in anticipation. Sakura was not the type to just give up and give in to anyone's demands. _'She is planning something devious that is for certain.'_

Sakura's head dropped down, causing her face to be hidden behind her hair. Konan walked over towards Sakura and held up the robe to Sakura.

"Now Sakura." Konan commanded, trying to keep her calm exposure, but it was slowly slipping with Sakura being this stubborn.

Konan watched as her arms moved towards the robe. Time seemed to drag on as Sakura reached up for the robe, but Konan's sharp eyes watched as Sakura retreated her hands back behind her. It was like the robe would burn her if she touched it. But before Konan had time to stop Sakura, Sakura lifted up the heavy wooden desk, and hurled it at the wall directly behind Konan. Konan felt the force behind the throw as the desk just skimming past her left cheek.

A big crash was heard on the outside of Sakura's room. Kisame moved away from the door and blinked repeatedly at it. "What was that?"

Itachi felt his mind mentally chuckle at Sakura's showing of a tantrum. _'I wonder what she tossed.'_

Kisame didn't wait to find out, so he opened the door, making it fly open. The two of them walked into the deadly silent room only to see a stiff Konan and a heavy breathing Sakura.

"What part of No don't you get?! I would never wear that thing and disgrace my village!" Sakura yelled once again, all her anger coming out.

Konan blinked a couple of times before she turned her head around to look at the billions of pieces the desk broke into. _'Even without chakra she still is able to lift 10 times her weight….incredible.'_

Kisame just stared at what was left of the desk. He then turned his head towards Sakura and watched as her breathing calmed down.

"Let me see what I can do." Konan said, returning to her cold state.

Sakura felt herself smile brightly towards the blue haired woman and flashed her a bright smile. "Thank you Konan!"

'_Not having to wear that thing would be the least of my worries.' _Sakura thought while still flashing her bright smile.

Konan slightly tilted her head and turned her attention to Kisame and Itachi. "I take it you are here for Sakura." Konan stated.

Kisame nodded his head. "Yeah." He stated firmly.

Sakura looked back and forth between the three shinobi with a puzzled expression. "What are you talking about?"

"You will have these two watching you for today. They will be acting like your guards." Konan finished as she walked out of the room.

Sakura stared at the woman as her jaw dropped to the floor. _'What?!' _

Konan paid no heed to Sakura's expression and turned around to leave Sakura's room. Once Konan was outside the room her attention returned to the other two Akatsuki members.

"Itachi and Kisame, if anything happens you are to report it to me." Her black eyes then landed on Sakura. "I will be back to bring you dinner." And with that, Konan disappeared from their sight.

"Eat your food. When you're done, come out." Itachi told Sakura as he and Kisame exited the room, leaving Sakura no time to respond to what happened.

Sakura felt strange as Itachi ordered her around in that emotionless tone, she hated it with a burning passion. Whenever he used that tone she felt, unimportant and useless to him, even though she knew his feelings towards her.

"What the hell. Why me?" Sakura told herself as she made her way towards the tray filled with food. "Oh well better eat while I can." Sakura said as she tested the food for poison and then took a sip of the chicken soup.

Meanwhile, outside Sakura's room, Kisame and Itachi stood on either side of her door, waiting for her to finish eating.

"Why do we have to watch her? I never said I wanted to baby-sit." Kisame said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Hn." Was all Itachi said. _'We are the only ones that Leader trusts not to hurt Sakura. Deidara and Hidan would rape her and Zetsu would treat her poorly.' _He Sharingan eyes stared at the wall in front of him as his mind continued to wander. _'It's better this way. Now I can watch her more closely. Even though it is for one day.'_

A few minutes passed and her door slowly creaked open. Kisame and Itachi watched as Sakura timidly walked out of her room. She hesitantly looked up in the eyes of her "guards" and returned her glaze to the floor.

"Follow us." Itachi said as he took the lead and Kisame followed behind Sakura.

Sakura quietly walked behind Itachi as she examined the never ending hallways he was leading them down. _'How can I remember where any hallway will take me when I can't even distinguish when one starts and another one ends?'_

Itachi lead Sakura up and down several hallways. It seemed like a never ending labyrinth with all the twists and turns in the building. As the three of them neared another ordinary hallway, Sakura felt very powerful chakra radiating from that direction.

She stopped following Itachi, causing Kisame to bump into her. "Hey shrimp keep moving!" Kisame ordered as he followed her glaze to the hallway in front of them.

He shot a look to Itachi and tried to push her away form the hallway, but she planted herself there, she wasn't moving at all.

Sakura narrowed her eyes down the long hallway and realized that she was sensing the Demon's locked up in the invention.

'_Now I know what kind of chakra I'm sensing. The demons' are down in that hallway!'_

'_**Hello? Whose there?!' **_Yelled a Demon from the hallway.

Sakura felt her eyes widen at the sudden realization. _'You can hear me?' _She didn't recognize the demon's voice, but she felt the Demon's chakra flare.

The Demon that she responded to didn't answer her. She felt her eye brow raise in the air at the confusion. _'Well if they won't come to me I'll come to them. Something isn't right and I need to find out what.'_

Sakura took a step towards the hallway, but was stopped by a arm. "Sorry shrimp, you aren't allowed down there." Kisame said as he forced her to turn around and continue to follow Itachi.

"Why? What's down there?" Sakura asked, while Kisame pushed her by the shoulders to continue to follow Itachi.

"Nothing important to you." Kisame said.

Sakura felt her curiosity rise even more. _'Why is it that a Demon could talk to me and yet it didn't talk back?'_

As they got further and further away from the hallway, Sakura returned her attention back to the two men near her. She was going to ask them where they were going, but her questions were answered when Itachi opened a door. Light shined through the dark complex, blinding Sakura with the sudden brightness.

Kisame pushed the blinded woman forward and soon the door made a loud click noise behind her. She stood still until her vision was cleared and she found herself outside in a grassy field.

Her eyes looked around the luscious grass and found a few trees scattered around the area. _'That means we are in some area that allows plant life. But why did they bring me out here?'_

Sakura toned out of her thoughts only to see Itachi and Kisame discussing something in a whispered tone that she could barely hear.

She stood there trying to read their lips, but the collar of their robes blocked her from reading anything. Her emerald eyes followed Kisame as he vanished from sight and then they turned towards Itachi.

'_I guess Kisame had to patrol the area or something.' _Sakura thought.

She watched Itachi walk towards her and stop a few feet away. "Follow me." He told her as he walked down the hill.

Not wanting to be left behind, she quickly followed him down the hill. As they walked down the hill, she noticed a forest come into view. Now why were they going into a forest? Sakura was very confused, but she didn't say anything, and followed Itachi while they traveled deep into the forest.

Before Sakura knew it, they were standing in front of a sparking lake. On the sides were trees hovering over the water and rocks surrounding the lake. Sakura felt her breath get caught in her throat. The place was beautiful!

Sakura looked over to Itachi and felt the need to flash him a big smile. He felt her glaze on him and he watched her from the corner of his eye. He knew she would love this place, it would be a spirit lifter for her, and he knew she needed it.

"Itachi….can I….can I go swimming?" Sakura asked, completely lost for words.

Itachi felt a small smirk cross his face, but Sakura caught it even if it was very small. "Hn."

That was all the conformation that Sakura needed. She launched herself at him and hugged him tightly. Itachi stiffened at her sudden touch, but as fast as the hug came, it was gone.

"Thanks Itachi!" Sakura shouted happily as she released him from her bear like hug and ran towards the rock platform that she could jump into the water from.

Itachi climbed onto one of the tree branches that hovered over the water. He laid down on the branch and watched Sakura climb the ten foot rock. His eyes never left her, he was in charge of her wellbeing, and even though he was just suppose to watch her for today, he took that further than it was intended.

Pink hair went flying in the air as Sakura dived down into the refreshing lake water. As she landed into the water, tiny ripples moved away from where Sakura landed. Itachi watched her swim in the lake, from floating on her back to jumping off the rock and doing several jumps off it, he couldn't help but feel at peace. Peace that he hasn't felt since he was thirteen and when she was with him.

As Sakura swam over towards Itachi, she couldn't help but ogle over how relaxed he looked. His muscles were less tense than normal, and she could tell just by his eyes that he seemed content.

But, she couldn't miss how handsome he looked just lying down on that tree branch. He head resting on one hand, while the other arm was limply hanging over the tree branch. A few pieces of hair escaped his low ponytail, making those pieces dangle in front of his Sharingan eyes.

'_Well that won't last for very long.' _Sakura thought as she sunk into the water, only leaving her nose and eyes above the water. A plan was being born in her head, and she was sure there would be hell to pay for it, but at the moment she couldn't resist.

Itachi narrowed his eyes, ever so slightly, as he watched Sakura sink down into the water like a hunter did when stalking his prey. _'Let's see what you do Sakura.' _He thought with a tiny smirk on his face once again.

Sure she was playing with fire, but like a little child, Sakura wouldn't stop playing until she got burnt. She slowly sank herself into the water, fully, and disappeared from Itachi's eye sight. He watched her with heat in his eyes, he loved it when she challenged him. His Sharingan eyes traveled over the water, looking for her figure in the water.

Sakura knew he would use the Sharingan to his advantage, that's why she got out over where the tall grass could conceal herself. Without her chakra she needed to rely on the nature around her to blend in.

Getting into a squat, Sakura slowly and stealthily, walked towards Itachi's tree. Sakura giggled quietly to herself, she looked like a Native American blending in nature. Once the tall grass left her wide open, she quickly ran to the base of the tree trunk. She watched as Itachi stood in his same spot, barely moving a muscle.

'_Ha! He's still looking for me!'_

Sakura climbed the tree up to Itachi's branch, to see him still laying down in his original position. As Sakura was right behind him, he tuned around to see her emerald eyes open wide.

"Got cha." He said as he grabbed her and flipped her to a laying position on the branch.

Sakura didn't struggle against him, but she did glare at him. "No fair! You cheated." Sakura pouted, referring to his Sharingan.

Itachi lowered his head down to her neck and tickled behind her ear with the tip of his nose. "Oh really?" He said, while taking in her scent.

Sakura smirked in her head, another plan boiling in her head. "Yeah. You always have the Sharingan on." She said as she lifted her legs around his waist.

Itachi stared at her with more heat growing in his eyes. It had been a while since he could actually touch her and hold her like this. She was finally alone with him and him only. Not with some pig on a Club floor or with his whole team organization either.

"You should watch what you wear Sakura." Itachi said as he traced circles on her arms.

Sakura tilted her head to the side in an innocent manner. "Huh?"

Itachi growled at her and came crashing down on her soft pink lips. He didn't even have to ask for entrance, for she gladly opened for him. Sakura moaned into his kiss as his tongue started to play with hers. Her hands made their way to his hair and started to tangle her fingers in his dark locks. They felt so smooth against her fingers that if felt like she was on Cloud 9.

When he pulled away, Sakura growled cutely at him and glared softly at him. Itachi simply ran his hand along her face and slowly made his way to her pink locks.

"When you dress like that, you draw unwanted attention Sakura." He whispered in her ear, causing a shiver to run through her. "No one is allowed to see you like this." He said as he eyed her revealing outfit.

Sakura felt a light pink blush raise to her cheeks. Now she knew what he was talking about. He was jealous that everyone could see her assets. He was never one to share with others. That she learned the night at the Club.

'_How cute…he's jealous. Maybe I should play with this a little bit more…' _Sakura thought with a devious smile on her face.

"Don't think about it Sakura." Itachi said as he assaulted her lips again, but this time it was filled with more hunger and passion than before.

Sakura followed his lead, playing with his tongue in her mouth and running her hands on his chest hidden behind the robe. She felt his muscles tense from her touch, but they soon relaxed and he continued playing with her hair.

'_Time to place my plan into action…'_

Before their moment ended, Sakura moved her hands to his hips, and felt him stiffen. She looked up at him to see his eyes burn with lust, little did he know that wasn't what she was thinking. His hands moved from her hair and traced along her arms and stomach causing butterflies to roam al around her stomach. Even though his touches were heavenly, she shook her head and with one swift movement she lifted Itachi up, tossing him into the water.

Sakura thought she was going to die of laughter when she saw his face. His lustful glaze was erased with anger and shock, he didn't think she could lift him up without chakra.

'_Ha! Take that!' _Sakura cheered as she crawled to the very edge of the tree branch, making it tip to the water, as she scanned the water for him.

Itachi couldn't believe it. She just lifted him up and threw him in the water. He didn't even suspect it. _'This show's how relaxed I am in her presence. But now it's my turn.' _Itachi thought as he swam underwater towards where the shadow of the tree was.

"I wonder where he went…" Sakura said out loud as she lowered herself closer to the water, making the tips of the tree branch dip into the water.

Down below, Itachi smirked as he slowly made his way to the surface. As his red eyes came up to the surface, he saw her upper body leaning over the branch in her face scanning the water out in front of her.

Before Sakura knew what happened, Itachi grabbed her hand and flipped her into the water. She went down with a splash and it didn't take long for her to raise up to the surface.

"Itachi! What was that about?!" She yelled as she tried to splash him with the water.

Itachi just stared at her and pulled her close to him. He lowered his head down to her ear and tickled her inner ear with his tongue. "Don't throw me into the water." He said in a husky voice as he pulled her closer towards him.

Sakura looked up at him to see droplets of water drip from lose pieces of hair and down his face. Her breath was caught in her throat at his appearance, she knew there was a good reason why she tossed him in the water.

Itachi watched her examine him, little did she know, he was doing the same thing. The water dripped from the ends of her hair and her eye lashes making her seem like a water goddess. His hold on her tightened, he didn't want to let her go, now that she was so close to him there was no way she was going to escape.

The two of them got out of the water and leaned up against the tree where all the trouble started. Itachi sat up against the tree first and Sakura sat in-between his legs. Her head rested against his chest and she curled up against him. While Sakura cuddled against him, Itachi placed his arms around her tiny waist, making her more comfortable against him.

It didn't take long for Sakura to fall asleep it that position. She felt safe and secure in his arms. The way he held her against him made Sakura feel complete. When she drifted off into dream world, Itachi watched her sleep, not moving a muscle. His eyes watched as her chest rose up and down slowly.

She was delicate and looked like she would wither away if he moved her. The way her body fit against him was like the final piece of a jigsaw puzzle coming together. He didn't want to leave this moment, but when he felt Kisame's chakra coming towards them his heart sank. Their moment, although very comforting, was short lived.

He removed himself from underneath her and placed her a few feet away from him. As Kisame came into view Itachi watched as Kisame eyed Sakura.

"I see shrimp over here fell in the water." Kisame commented, not noticing Itachi's cloths looking a little damp.

"Hn." Itachi said. "Let's go." Itachi said, as he picked Sakura up bridal style, not allowing Kisame to carry her.

"Hai." Kisame said as the two of them walked back to the base.

While they walked to the base Itachi couldn't believe how much his emotions ran wild within him when he was near Sakura. She was the only one that made his locked up emotions come to life. She was truly a beautiful woman, but it wasn't just her looks that attracted him.

The way her mind worked completely fascinated him. No matter how much he studied her, she would always surprise him with something else. She was a rollercoaster ride that never ended, but that is what he loved about her.

Kisame walked along side Itachi and watched as his partner seemed very gentle with the pink haired woman. Granted she was beautiful, with her button nose, short pink hair, and vibrant green eyes, but also her fiery spirit was a rarity in their line of work.

But for all the time he has known Itachi, he wasn't one to be attached to women, hell he never even showed interest in woman! Now, all of a sudden, his partner seemed attached to the short tempered spit fire woman.

'_It seems all to natural. Do they know each other from somewhere? But she is 19 and Itachi is 24, there is no way they could know each other….this is a mystery worth looking into.' _Kisame thought as they continued towards their base hidden underground.

Even though Kisame is not one to pry into his partners business, this display seemed to fishy not to look into. _'Sorry Itachi, but she has caught my attention as well…'_

* * *

TO

BE

CONTINUED

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_**Authors Note: OHHH WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?! **_

_**There is the much needed Fluff that everyone was looking for!! I found their little hunting scene very cute, but that's my opinion! Don't worry I am planning more fluff to come in more chapters!! :)**_

_**I didn't know what color Konan's eyes were so I just said black to be on the safe side. Don't worry, I have found out some things about Konan and I am planning on adding them in future chapters. **_

_**I don't know how many more chapters there will be, but I have a feeling it won't end too too soon!**_

_**PLEASE REVIEW!!**_

_**HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED IT!**_

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	23. Chapter 23

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_**Author's Notes: **_Hello all my reviewers! I thank you so much for your never ending support and I do hope you all enjoy this new chapter! Please feel free to give me any advice that would make this story more enjoyable to read! Sorry for the long wait!!

PLEASE ENJOY YOURSELVES!

* * *

Darkness graced itself upon the Akatsuki hideout. The full moon shinned brightly in the sky, along with the sparkling stars that twinkled along side the bright moon. Konan stood outside, looking up at the black sky, enjoying how peaceful the night was.

Her blue hair swayed as a night breeze swept across the field, causing the blades of grass to tickle against her legs. Konan released a sigh and laid her back against the grass. As she closed her eyes, her mind replayed the events that happened today.

First her day started off with a desk being chucked at her head by an angry Sakura, not something she really enjoyed, and then she spent the rest of the day trying to find her different cloak to wear around the base. By the end of her search she was able to find Sakura a warm black cloak. Towards the end of the day she got feedback of Sakura's day.

'_The only issue Kisame told me about Sakura is that she stopped and stared at the hallway where Pein keeps his precious weapon. He seemed worried that she would find it, how brainless Kisame is. Sure we have to keep an eye on Sakura, but she will never find where the weapon is located in that hallway. Even if she finds the room, she is only making our job easier, if she enters the room on her own free will we simply will take her power and transfer it into the weapon.' _Konan thought seriously as she stared up as a shooting star flew through the sky.

Konan continued to stare blankly at the black sky until she heard the door shut behind her. Rising to her feet in a graceful manner, Konan shot her deep blue eyes towards to person who interrupted her peacefulness. The teenaged boy stopped dead in his tracks, sacred to his core, at Konan's passive yet bone chilling, stare.

"Master Konan, Leader wishes to speak to you." The frightened boy said as he bowed deeply towards Konan.

Konan said nothing and with a single hand seal she disappeared from the teenage boy's sight. _'I can only imagine what Pein wants with me.'_

Pein sat at his desk, staring blankly at the wall in front of him. Konan would be coming soon and he had to discuss something with her. A swirl of smoke entered his office as Konan entered his office.

"You called for me Pein?" Konan said as she bowed respectfully towards her leader.

Pein nodded his head and kept his eyes on Konan. "What did Kisame tell you about our new guest?" He stated.

Konan wasn't surprised that he knew Kisame told her information about Sakura, truth be told, she expected him to ask her about that information as soon as she heard it. Pein did not like to be left in the dark about anything, no matter how minor it may seem.

"Kisame told me that Sakura stared down the hallway where you keep your weapon." Konan stated.

Pein stood up from his chair and walked over to Konan, watching her body for any signs of fear. Konan stood there watching his shadow move from the desk and over towards her, she betrayed nothing, keeping her composure as he came closer towards her. That was what he admired about her, she didn't get nervous easily.

"Any thoughts about this Konan?" Pein asked, as he passed her and sat down on one of the lounge chairs in the corner of the room.

Konan turned her body towards his direction and shook her head to her leader. "No Pein I don't."

"Why is that?" Pein asked.

Konan didn't need to see Pein's face to notice the pure curiousness he held for her blunt answer. Ever since she joined the Akatsuki and proved how powerful she was, Pein learned to value her opinion more than his own male members. Konan sometimes thought Pein held a soft spot of her, but those thoughts were quickly banished away before she allowed herself to dwell on them any longer.

"If she finds the room where the Jinchuriki's are at, it will only aid us." Konan simply said.

Pein didn't say anything as he reflected on Konan's words. _'It would be handy to have the little one enter the room on her own free will. Then we can use her for the weapon.'_

Konan stood as still as stone as Pein moved away from his couch and towards her. Her blue eyes watched each step he took across the stone floor; his steps were graceful and naturally soundless. She felt his breath brushing against her neck.

"Well Konan, why don't we strike her curiosity a little more? Remember, curiosity kills the cat." Pein said as he smelled Konan's hair.

Konan tried to not show Pein that his action was causing her body to tense up, but it was slowly showing. What was wrong with her? She never acted nervous around Pein or anyone for that matter, so why all of a sudden was she acting like this?

"Hai, Pein." Konan said in her cold voice, revealing nothing about her emotional turmoil that was taking place in her head.

She felt his nose move away from the back of her head and move towards her cheek. _'What the hell is going on with him?' _Konan thought as she continued to stay still while Pein's nose tickled her cheek.

"Don't disappoint me Konan." Was all Pein said as Konan felt lips on her cheek. As fast as the lips came on her cheek, they were gone. _'Did he just……kiss my cheek?'_

Konan didn't turn around, no matter how much she wanted to, and simply nodded her head up and down. She could feel Pein's eyes follow her blue hair as it swayed from side-to-side against the side of his face.

"Good." Pein whispered in her ear and walked back to his desk.

Konan bowed towards Pein, and without another word, she exited his office. She walked down the never-ending hallways and stopped at a wooden door. As the wooden door opened, Konan stealthily walked into the room and towards a bed in the corner of the room.

As Konan laid down on the bed, she felt her mind processing everything that happened in Pein's office. He baffled her beyond comprehension, never before has he shown affection towards her, but she didn't dwell on it for long and drifted off into a light sleep.

Most of the members were asleep in the complex hidden underground, but not everyone. Six members were up and had no intention of going back to sleep. They were sitting down in a circle on the metal floor in their room.

"**What is wrong with you Emi? You've been quiet all day." **Shukaku said to his younger sister, staring into her cat eyes.

Emi didn't look up and kept staring down at the metal floor, if she looked into her older brother's eyes she knew she would crack and tell him what was bothering her.

'_**That girl's voice…..where did it come from? She didn't sound like any of the other members that pass by our hallway…..'**_

"**Nothing is wrong Shukaku-san." **Emi lied to her older brother.

Shukaku shot his little sister a suspicious look and looked around at his other brothers and sisters. Nobu was staring at Emi with his brown eyes, he seemed suspicious as well but he didn't dare voice his suspicions. His other sister, older than Emi but younger than himself, wasn't paying much attention to them.

'_Tae is always in her own world. How she is able to control water with her dazed mind is a mystery to me.'_

His black eyes glazed his three other mysterious brothers sitting on the other side of the circle. _'Baku, Jin, and Riki are always quiet, rarely do they voice their thoughts. Even they are not believing Emi's statement.'_

The seven Demons' sat in their closed in space in dead silence. Shukaku rested his back against the wall and continued to observe his family. Before he came into the container, his brothers and sisters were untamed beasts, now that Shukaku regained his spot as one of the oldest demons everything calmed down.

"**Why can't we get the hell out of here?" **Nobu snorted as he punched the floor underneath him. No matter how much demonic chakra he used, he still couldn't punch a hole through the container.

Nobu felt his brother's eyes on him. He didn't freeze under his glace and shot his black eyes towards his older brother.

"**Nobu we have to wait for the right moment." **Shukaku instructed to his brother.

"**You've said this for how long?! And we still haven't gotten anywhere Shukaku!" **Nobu shouted, thrashing his fists into the ground where he sat. Although Nobu respected Shukaku, he still refused to call Shukaku with a suffix, to Nobu's surprise Shukaku didn't seem to care.

Emi, who was to the left of him, jumped up in shock once she saw him continue to punch the floor. **"It is no use Nobu-San." **She whispered as her blue eyes stared at the wall behind Shukaku.

"**Well I don't see you trying anything!" **Nobu shouted.

Tae, who was daydreaming, was brought back to reality by her younger brother's punches. _**'Nobu if you don't stop punching the damn floor I'm going to use you as my personal punching bag.' **_Tae thought to herself as Nobu continued to punch the floor.

"**There is nothing we can do so stop punching the floor, before I start punching you." **Tae told Nobu with a glare.

Nobu felt his older sister's glare on him and felt the intensity of those blue eyes on his back. When Tae woke up from her daze, she could be down right scary when she wants to be. To Tae's relief, Nobu stopped punching the dented floor and continued to sulk in his own depression.

"**I know we are stuck here, but let's not kill each other." **Shukaku told his fellow demons.

"**Easier said than done brother." **Tae hissed out while she slowly receded back into her dreams.

Meanwhile, in another part of the complex, someone else was suffering from their own type of disturbance. Sakura was sleeping peacefully until the urge to go to the bathroom woke her up from her peaceful dreams.

'_Ugh…' _Sakura thought to herself as she crawled out of her warm bed and made her way to the bathroom.

After she relieved herself, Sakura found her way back to her bed and tried to fall back asleep. But Sakura found herself not being able to fall back asleep. _'Ah! Why can't I go back to sleep?!' _Sakura angrily sat up in her bed and leaned against the headboard of her bed.

Her emerald green eyes scanned her room, only to stop at the billion pieces of wood scattered across the other side of the room. _'I told Konan I was never going to wear that damn cloak, but she didn't listen to me….which reminds me!'_

Sakura pushed the blankets off her and walked over towards her closet. _'Konan told me that she found me something to wear instead of the cloak….' _Sakura told herself as she opened the sliding doors and found a simple black cloak hanging up in her closet.

Her petite hand removed the cloak from its hanger and fastened the collar around her neck. She watched as the black material cascaded around her body, hiding her body from sight. _'Well since everyone is asleep, I guess it wouldn't kill me to go exploring.' _Sakura told herself as she slyly exited her room and started to walk down the many hallways.

Left, right, down, up, left, the hallways seemed like they lead Sakura in circles. She could take one way and the hallways lead her to another place.

'_Oh well it's more fun than having someone watching my every move.' _Sakura thought to herself.

As her feet took her wherever, she found herself in front of a hallway with torches lighting up the hallway. It was the first hallway Sakura has seen that had a source of light to show her the way.

'_It could be a trap….but….oh why not? I'll have to keep my guard up though.' _Sakura thought as she cautiously walked down the hallway.

As Shukaku's eyes scanned his brothers and sisters, once again, he saw Emi's eyes open wide.

"**What is it Emi?" **Shukaku demanded, thinking that if he caught her in the middle of something she would tell him. Shukaku's outburst caused the remaining demon's to stare at Emi as well.

"**Come on Emi drop the act." **Tae said in annoyance. She wanted to get out of this tin can too, but acting like a drama queen wasn't going to help them.

"**She's back…" **Emi said out loud, more to herself than to her family.

"**Whose back?" **Nobu asked.

"**There she goes again…." **Emi said again.

Shukaku narrowed his eyes towards his timid sister, something was wrong. _'What is it that she is hearing that we aren't?'_

Sakura walked down the hall aimlessly, trying to figure out where the hell she was. _'What the hell. You would think that because there is light in this hallway I would be able to recognize something…'_

Sakura's thoughts were cut short once a door at the end of the hallway stood right at the end of the hallway. _'So this hallway is a dead end?'_

"**She is getting closer…" **Emi said to her family.

"**Who is she talking about?" **Tae said in an annoyed tone.

"**Just ignore…." **Before Nobu could finish his sentence Shukaku cut him off.

"**Shut your mouth and listen." **Shukaku said as he tried to listen to the mumbled voice that Nobu talked over.

"…might as well go in…what else do I have to lose?" The voice said.

Shukaku felt his eyes grow wide. _**'S-Sakura?! How….when did she get here?!'**_

Nobu and Tae noticed their brother's expression as the woman spoke. They looked at Baku, Jin, and Riki to see them listening intently to the voice. Before the demons knew what happened their doorknob started to twist.

"Come on….why won't this door open?!" The voice said again. This time Nobu heard the voice loud and clear, his mouth dropped to the ground and he jumped to his feet.

"**Impossible!" **He said.

"**What's your issue?" **Tae said.

Nobu didn't get to answer for Emi started to speak. **"So all of you can hear her as well…." **

Tae looked back at her younger sister and was baffled beyond belief. Was she missing something? She didn't hear any voice, what were they talking about?

"Fine, if this door won't open, I'll force it open!" The voice shouted, causing Tae's eyes to widen.

"**Who is that?!" **Tae shouted now studying her brother's faces. They knew who it was and they weren't sharing their information. **"Well Nobu and Shukaku?!" **

"**When did she get here?" **Nobu asked himself, not expecting his older brother to answer his question.

"**That is what all of the fuss is about all of a sudden…" **Shukaku said realizing why all of a sudden all the servants were running around like wildfire.

"**Will someone explain what is going on?!" **Tae shouted, causing everyone to look at the raging demon. **"If you two don't explain what is going on right now, I will personally make your life a living hell." **Tae said, while cracking her knuckles. She watched as her family felt her chakra raise as a way to back up her threat.

"**We'll explain in a minute Tae." **Shukaku reassured his older sister. **"Just wait a minute."**

Tae shot her younger brother a glare but sat down and waited. Never once did she lower her chakra though, she would keep her threat until they answered her question.

"**Someone's coming." **Emi stated.

Shukaku and Nobu looked at each other and then back at the wall of the container. They were ready to make a distraction so Sakura could run away if needed.

Sakura, on the other hand, was getting ready to kick down the door in front of her. Not aware of what was coming or what was on the other side of the door.

"One……two……three!" Sakura shouted as she got a running start and aimed to kick the door.

Sakura expected to hear wood crack underneath her kick but she felt a hand grasping her ankle. She glared at the person in front of her. "What the hell!" She shouted while trying to get her ankle away from the person in front of her.

"What's a hot babe like you doing up this late? Don't you need your beauty rest?" The voice said.

Sakura felt her anger grow inside her. She knew who it was. It was the only horny man in Akatsuki that freely showed his emotions on the subject or any subject for that matter.

"Move out of my way." Sakura demanded.

Hidan let go of her ankle and watched her gracefully twirl her body around, causing the cloak to open and reveal her body. To Hidan's disappointment, Sakura swiftly returned her foot to the ground and the cloak surrounded her body once again.

"Sorry babe, no can do." Hidan said as he walked over towards his pink haired mystery.

Sakura glared at him as he came closer towards her. She could only imagine what he was going to say to her. Unfortunately, his pace increased, and before she knew it, Hidan was mere inches away from her face.

"Let's get you back to that room and do some more productive things with our time." Hidan said with a wink.

Sakura felt her face grow hot with anger. _'Is he serious?! What's wrong with him?!'_

"I'll pass thank you." Sakura said as she spun around on the ball of her foot, back facing Hidan, and walked away.

Hidan didn't stop there and followed her form down the hallway, back to where the other hallways were, and grabbed her shoulder. Sakura looked behind her and in a blink of an eye, Hidan had her pinned against a wall.

Red eyes met emerald in their tight space. Hidan watched as Sakura squirmed in his grasp. He felt the need to smirk at her movements. "I wonder how good you taste Pinky." Hidan whispered in her ear as his hands went to reach the tie of the cloak.

Sakura reached out and placed her hands on his chest, getting ready to throw him across the room, she glared up at him and watched as his eyes held lust.

"Anxious aren't we?" Hidan said with a growing smirk. "I wonder how good you are in…."

Hidan didn't get to finish his sentence for he was thrown against the wall. Sakura blinked several times as she watched Hidan's body being thrown into the wall. Hidan jumped out of the wall and glared at the shadow next to Sakura.

"Who the fuck was that?! How dare you fucking interrupt my damn business!" Hidan shouted.

Sakura looked to the left of her and watched as Itachi slowly walked out of the shadows. She felt the urge to run behind him, but knew she couldn't, her attention soon returned to the angry Hidan who was about to jump down Itachi's throat.

"What the fuck man!" Hidan shouted as he ran at Itachi and pulled out a kunai. "Never interrupt my business you fucking pretty boy!" Hidan shouted.

While this conversation was going on, the six demons listened intently to the conversation. Shukaku couldn't help but be curious. _**'Where did the Uchiha come from?'**_

"**I'm glad he threw that annoying man into the wall. He always swears to much." **Tae said out loud.

"**But why are they even up Tae-San?" **Emi asked.

"**None of them ever really sleep, but how did they know that this girl would be in our hallway?." **Tae said.

The family of demons exchanged puzzled looks and continued to listen to the interesting conversation.

Itachi stood completely still, blankly staring at the kunai Hidan held towards him. Hidan's eyes burned with anger, he thought he was actually going to get laid by the spitfire with pink hair, but now it wasn't going to happen.

'_Thanks for cutting in you bastard!' _Hidan shouted at Itachi, although he never showed it.

Sakura felt the tension growing between the two men and couldn't help but gulp under how sinister they both looked at each other. _'I have to do something before they rip each other's heads off.'_

"Um well…..I think I'll just take my leave now…." Sakura said as she slowly inched her way away from the growing fight.

Her interruption made both men look at her as she tried to make a quick get-away from the two men. Itachi watched Hidan make his way towards Sakura, but he stepped right in-between Hidan and Sakura.

"Move your pretty boy ass Uchiha." Hidan growled out. "Or else I'll kill you." He finished darkly.

Sakura studied Itachi's back, as he took Hidan's threat and insult, she watched as Itachi wordlessly walked up to Hidan and stopped right as he was face-t-face with Hidan.

"If you go near her again, you will be the one dead." Itachi whispered only loud enough for Hidan to hear.

Sakura couldn't hear what Itachi said, but what ever he said made Hidan go off into a tamper. His face turned bright red and his eyes shot Itachi a death glare. He pushed past Itachi, making sure to bump him in the shoulder, and quickly turned back around.

"Watch your puny back you prick." Hidan hissed out as he vanished into the darkness of the Akatsuki's hallways. _'I will find out why you care if I go near Pinky, maybe then I'll be able to crack your mask…Uchiha.' _Hidan promised himself as his vision of Sakura faded away.

Sakura turned towards Itachi and placed her hands on her hips. She looked at Itachi, only to see him turn around to face her. "What was that about?" Sakura asked.

Itachi said nothing as he took Sakura's arm and guided her towards her room. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with. Just watch yourself around Hidan."

Sakura felt her eyes roll in the back of her head. _'I can only imagine what he said to Hidan.'_

When Itachi and Sakura made it to her door, Itachi walked to both of them into her room and shut the door. His red eyes glowed in the dark, while Sakura's emerald eyes stared at the man before her.

He walked up to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. She looked up only to see his red eyes recede into black coal eyes, making Sakura smile.

"Now those are the eyes I remember." She stated happily.

Itachi said nothing and gathered her into his arms. It may not have been a real definition of a hug, but it was Itachi's own little way of showing affection. Sakura felt herself sink into his chest and closed her eyes.

She felt so peaceful, it was like they were continuing what happened under the tree that afternoon. While Itachi held her close, he felt her muscles grow limp and head lean against his chest. He looked over to see her asleep against him, but before she would fall to the floor, Itachi gently picked her up and placed her into her bed.

As he covered the white sheets over her, he couldn't help but feel anger rise through him again. He had been there at the start of Hidan's and Sakura's conversation and he was not happy with what Hidan was suggesting.

'_He will not touch Sakura. I will make sure of it.' _Itachi thought as he kissed her forehead and exited her room. As he exited the room he noticed a medallion, shinning in the darkness, hanging around Sakura's neck. _'Was is that?' _He thought, but didn't dwell on it for long and left Sakura's room with out a sound.

Itachi, Hidan, and Sakura were not the only ones still awake. Pein was wandering the halls and watched the whole conversation from beginning to end. The way Itachi acted towards Hidan puzzled him, the Uchiha was normally quiet and only talked when needed. Now all of a sudden he was "defending" their new guest.

'_I guess our little guest is causing more problems than I finically intended. Although, she might be quite interesting to have around.' _And with that the Akatsuki layer was left to return to its' once peaceful quiet state.

* * *

TO

BE

CONTINUED

* * *

_**Authors Note: Sorry it took me so long to post a chapter everyone, this weekend was very hectic. I had lip sync practice for spirit week at my school and I had a lot of homework. Please forgive me. **_

_**But I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I made it longer for you all too!! **_

_**PLEASE REVIEW!! :-) **_

**_THANK YOU!!_**

* * *


	24. Chapter 24

_**Author's Notes: **_I'm so so so sorry everyone! I have had so many projects in the past week it has kept me away from this story! I even have more projects to do as we speak, but I put them aside for all of you, as a way for me to write you all a nice chapter! I'd like to thank you all for reviewing to this story! :) It means a lot to me, as you already know, and I'm just totally grateful for all the support!!! :) I hope you all enjoy this chapter! :) Sorry to keep you waiting!! :(

This chapter has been edited. Enjoy!

* * *

The seven demons' sat down in their room, awestruck over what they just heard. None of them expected for anyone, besides Pein, to try to come into their room.

"**Now will you explain what the hell is going on?!" **Tae shouted, after she was sure her two younger brothers would answer her this time.

Shukaku turned his demon red color eyes towards Tae. **"The woman that everyone just heard……her name is Sakura."**

"**And how do you know her Shukaku-San**?**" **Emi asked quietly.

Shukaku felt a sigh escape his demon lips. Tonight was going to be a very long one. **"Sakura is the human Kyuubi and I have decided to protect." **Shukaku stated firmly.

Nobu turned his brown eyes towards his older brother and felt his mouth drop to the floor. **"So you already know what she is?" **

Shukaku sent his younger brother a confused expression but Tae was the one who was even more confused. **"What are you talking about Nobu?"**

Before Nobu could explain himself, their room was filled with a red smoke. Every demon in the container stared into the smoke with glowing eyes, not letting whatever entered their container catch them off guard. Their sight senses were stronger than any other creature on earth, but for some reason they couldn't see through the smoke.

"**Who are you?! Come out you coward!" **Tae shouted, clearly annoyed that someone interrupted their conversation.

"**Is that the greetings I get Tae?" **Said a voice.

All the demons' looked shocked by the sound of the voice. They all waited for the smoke to clear, to reveal….

"**Kyuubi……what are you doing here?" **Shukaku asked.

Kyuubi's red eyes scanned the container and he couldn't help but flash his family a smirk. **"I see everyone is still the same." **Kyuubi said mostly to himself than to his siblings.

"**How did you get here Kyuubi-San?" **Emi asked timidly.

Kyuubi walked over to the shy cat demon and squatted down to her level. **"Easy Emi……Naruto is sleeping, so I am traveling around."**

"**Why did you come here of all places?" **Tae asked as she crossed her arms across her chest.

Kyuubi smirked at his older sister and patted her shoulder. **"Nice to see you too Tae, but the reason why I am here is mainly for Shukaku."**

Shukaku looked at his brother with a baffled face. **"What could you possibly want from me?"**

Kyuubi stood back up and turned his attention towards Shukaku. **"For the past two days, the Kit has been searching day and night for Sakura."**

"**You mean she is deemed as missing in your society?" **Emi asked as she side glanced worriedly towards Tae.

Kyuubi nodded his head. **"Yes. Apparently someone broke into her apartment and snatched her away. The Hokage has sent search parties out to look for her, but nothing has come up yet, but I noticed something when the Kit was looking around her apartment for clues…"**

"**What could that be?" **Shukaku asked, trying to piece together why Sakura was at the base.

"**I noticed a faint smell. I remember the scent from when the Kit and I met up with the Uchiha from the Akatsuki……their cloaks leave a distinct scent that only our demon noses can pick up…." **Kyuubi explained as he saw the clarification come from Shukaku's face.

"**You think Sakura is here don't you?" **Shukaku asked while interrupting Kyuubi's explanation.

"**Yes Shukaku, I do. Have any of you sensed her?" **Kyuubi asked everyone.

Shukaku looked between his brothers and sisters and nodded his head; he did swear to protect the human. She made him feel peaceful for a reason he may never know, and was not going to ruin that feeling.

"**Yes Kyuubi, we have. She almost came into our room, until one of the members showed up and stopped her." **

Tae watched Kyuubi's face carefully, something wasn't right. The way his shoulders tensed when Shukaku said that the girl was here was not normal. _**'Why is this human so damn special? What makes her able to cause even Kyuubi to feel uncomfortable in this situation?'**_

"**Don't let her in this room. No matter what Shukaku." **Kyuubi said with an edgy tone, his eyes gleaming with assertiveness.

Before Shukaku could even question his brother's reason, Tae jumped to her feet and slammed her foot down on the metal floor.

"**What is with all of you?!" **She yelled, throwing her hands up in the air, causing all eyes to be focused on her. **"Why is this puny human important all of a sudden?! We have just seen her once and already she is being treated like some goddess!"**

Nobu shook his head, very slightly, at his older sister. When he saw the reaction Kyuubi had when Shukaku said Sakura was in the base, he knew right away Kyuubi knew about Sakura's "talent".

'_**What am I suppose to say to help explain this to everyone besides Kyuubi? They won't believe it without proof, but providing proof would put Sakura in even more danger.'**_

While Tae glared down her two younger brothers, she felt a foreign chakra entering their container. **"Now who is it?!" **Tae shouted.

The Chakra entered the container as a tiny blue dot, and it started to shine brighter and brighter until it filled the room with its' light. As fast as the light came, it vanished. Right before all the other demons was the youngest demon of the family.

"**Anri." **Tae said in an astonished tone. _**'I thought we sealed her in the scroll? Don't tell me the Akatsuki got a hold of her too?!'**_

Anri smiled brightly at her oldest sister and bowed deeply towards every demon in the room. **"Forgive me for intruding, but I don't have much time."**

"**Anri, how did you get here?" **Nobu asked shocked to see her.

Anri straighten herself up and couldn't help but smile towards all her siblings. She hadn't seen them since the faithful day where they sealed her in that stuffy scroll. **"I used my scroll's power to summon myself here, but only for so long."**

"**Why are you here Anri?" **Emi asked with confusion, while getting up and walking towards her younger sister. Anri was her favorite little sister, even if she was her only little sister. Anri was the only one Emi could really talk to without getting intimidated.

Kyuubi and Shukaku took a few steps back, waiting to hear what their littlest sister had to say for herself.

Anri cleared her throat and began to speak. **"I know this is a hard subject to grasp, but I had to come as soon as I felt her come close to you all." **Anri looked around to see their attention still glued to her. **"The human, Haruno Sakura, the one that came close to entering your room……"**

"**Don't tell me you are going to treat her like a goddess too Anri! I mean she is just human for god's sakes!" **Tae stressed to her baby sister.

Anri smiled at Tae. **"But we should Tae-San." **Anri knew her statement was a bold one, but it had to be said.

"**Excuse me?!" **Tae shouted but before Tae could go on a tirade, Baku started to speak.

"**Let Anri explain herself older sister." **He said blankly giving Anri that extra push to help her finish what she was saying.

Anri bowed towards her quiet brother and continued with her statement. **"Tae-San, I know that you don't think a mere human should be protected as much as this one……but she has to be. She is the one that could send us all to that peaceful state we all have dreamed off ever since we have been hunted down."**

This bold statement caused everyone in the room, except Kyuubi and Nobu, to gasp. **"Impossible…." **Shukaku started to say, but now that Anri told him that, he couldn't help but agree. _**'It would explain why I felt so calm around her when I was in my angry state.'**_

"**You have got to be kidding me right?" **Tae stated with a bitter laugh added at the end. **"How can you possibly know this? That peaceful land is only a myth." **

Anri felt the argument slipping through her fingers, what was she going to do to prove to her oldest sister that Sakura was the one that could save them all? **"Tae-San, please. You just have to believe me!"**

"**Without cold hard proof, I don't believe it." **Tae coldly said. _**'I remember when I believed in that fairytale, later my dreams were crushed once I was attacked and sealed inside a human. They are all foolish to believe in this.' **_Tae concluded as she watched all her younger siblings start to glow with unidentified emotions.

Anri felt her head drop to the ground. **"I don't have any proof to show you at the moment." **Anri said in a small voice. If she did show Tae proof it would endanger Sakura further.

Anri felt her spiritual body starting to vanish away. Her ice blue eyes looked up at everyone and she squeezed in one last statement before she disappeared.

"**Please everyone, help Sakura-Chan and she will help you. Just keep an open-mind Tae-San. She is the Demon Tamer and you will get your proof when the time comes."**

The remaining demons watched their littlest sister vanish back to her scroll. Kyuubi looked at Shukaku and nodded in confirmation.** "Now you know why Sakura must stay as far away from you as possible. If the Akatsuki calm us down they can use our power for anything."**

Nobu nodded his head. **"You're right Kyuubi. We will make sure that the Akatsuki don't hurt her."**

Every demon, except Tae, nodded their heads in agreement. If they got Sakura out of the base, then maybe, just maybe they had a chance to save their lives and Sakura's. They would make sure she was save and then use all their power to break out of this container, that way they could fly towards Sakura and have her send them to their "Paradise Island".

Tae snorted at them all. _**'So stupid. Don't they know there is no such thing as a peaceful world?'**_

"**Now that I know that Sakura is here I better get back to the Kit and tell him the news. I'll try to contact you all again and fill you in on what's going on." **Kyuubi said.

"**I'm sure we will be sensing you in the future. That Blondie doesn't like to wait for things to come to him. He goes to them." **Shukaku stated with a smirk. Knowing full well how much perseverance the blonde human held.

Kyuubi nodded his head in confirmation and disappeared from his brothers and sisters. _**'When the Kit finds out where Sakura is he is going to run out of Konoha and try to rescue her. Watch out Akatsuki, we are coming for her.' **_Kyuubi thought to himself as he receded back to Naruto's mind. When Naruto would wake up that morning, chaos will ensue in Konoha.

Shukaku turned his attention back to his brothers and sisters and sank down to the ground. **"We all better get some sleep." **He said to everyone. **"Tomorrow, we will start forming ideas on how to get Sakura out of here." **

Everyone agreed and drifted off into a light slumber, except Tae. She glared at her young naïve brothers and sisters. _**'We will see if this girl is really what Anri says she is.' **_Tae thought as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. She would test this girl in order to prove her siblings wrong, to keep them from believing the crazy myth. To save them from the heartbreak that she suffered many years ago.

As the sun ascended into the sky, the moon receded back to its hiding spot. Waiting for another night to call on its arrival. The suns' rays shinned through the underground bases' windows.

The rays brightened up Sakura's room significantly. Sakura tossed and turned on her bed, trying to block out the light, hoping to sleep a little bit longer.

'_Ugh…I don't want to get up. Five more minutes.' _Sakura thought as she rolled over to her stomach and buried her face under the pillow, trying to block out the sun.

She stayed in that position for a few minutes, until she felt it useless to hide from the light any longer. Throwing the pillow off her head, it flew across the room and landed on the ground. Sakura groaned and flipped her body around and sat up into a sitting position.

"What time is it anyway?" She asked herself.

Her emerald glaze shot to the digital clock only to see it was nine in the morning. Her day was just getting started. She got up only to see herself in her black cloak from yesterday.

"Might as well take a shower." Sakura told herself as she got off her bed and gently lowered her bare feet to the floor. She looked up at the tiny window only to smile brightly, while walking to the bathroom that was attached to her room.

'_Maybe this time I will have an easier time with exploring this maze they call a base.' _Sakura thought with a sly smile appearing across her face.

While Sakura got ready, Pein held a meeting in his office with all his members. He had very important rules to discuss with them. He stood behind his desk and watched as every member walked into his room and stood in a line.

He waited until his giant oak doors were shut before he began the meeting. "Listen up." He stated firmly, watching as all the members stood up straight and awaited to hear his words.

"Zetsu, when you brought our little guest to this base two days ago, I believed that she was the one we are looking for. However, I'd like to see how powerful she is." Pein said.

Konan watched Pein glaze at all of them in one swoop. She knew that he was dying to see what power Sakura held since she was the Demon Tamer, but… _'How is he going to set her up to use her power? When I met her, it felt like she had no idea what danger she was in.'_

"What would you like me to do Leader?" Zetsu asked respectfully.

Pein didn't move from his spot and stared coldly at Zetsu. "Get her to use her power." Was his answer.

Zetsu felt his mind grow angry with his leaders' simple answer, but he didn't dare test it. When Pein saw Zetsu nod his head, he continued on with the meeting.

"I want you all to reel our little guest into where the Demons are held." Pein told everyone.

Itachi felt his brain go in over drive. He didn't expect his leader to send Sakura into the Demons clutches so soon. Hell, he wasn't even accepting the fact that she was going to be taken away from him yet again, but for this time, he feared it would be for good. _'The demons' powers are too great for Sakura to survive. It would be impossible for her to come out alive.'_

Hidan side glanced at Itachi only to see the impassive bastard as expressionless as ever. _'This is an act isn't it Uchiha? I'll crack your little mystery with Pinky. Just you watch.'_

'_Tobi has a feeling that Tobi forgot to do something that Miss. Konan asked Tobi to do. But what was it Tobi was suppose to do?' _Tobi thought to himself, but shook it off once he realized he couldn't figure out what it was.

Deidara turned to his left and his attention turned towards the restless potty mouth beside him. Ever since Hidan has been in this room, he's been glaring at Itachi. _'Why does Hidan have a grudge on the Uchiha? Itachi doesn't bother anyone.'_

Pein noticed the tension Hidan held for Itachi and couldn't help but smirk at the reason why. Whatever the Uchiha said to Hidan last night about their guest really got to Hidan.

Konan was hoping that this meeting would be over soon, they were just standing here doing nothing. As Konan cleared her throat, the room was filled with a crash from the floor above Pein's office.

The Akatsuki shot their glazes to the ceiling and stared at the spot where they heard a bang.

"What was that?" Kisame asked, as he looked to Deidara.

Deidara looked at Kisame and shook his head. "I have no idea."

When Sakura was done with her shower, she wasted no time getting back into her two day old clothing and covered herself with her new black cape.

'_I better get a move on before someone comes looking for me.' _Sakura thought to herself.

Sakura picked a random direction to walk through and continued walking aimlessly throughout the base. She walked past many rooms, all which held no interest, and continued for a good half hour.

'_Come on, this is an evil organization for crying out loud! There has to be something exciting going on!!' _Sakura shouted to herself as she passed another hallway.

But this hallway, to her astonishment, held only one door. _'Now why would this hallway only have one door?' _

Making sure to hide amongst the shadows in the hallway, she made her way towards the lonely door. She didn't bother checking to see if there was anyone in the room, the Akatsuki had drained her chakra for the past two days and she figured they drained her chakra while she was asleep.

To her astonishment, as Sakura opened the door, no one was inside it. _'Now that is strange. Why would there be no one in this room?' _Sakura thought to herself as she looked around the room.

The room wasn't like a room at all. Lab tables were scattered everywhere and all funky gadgets were attached to each table. The lighting in the room wasn't very bright, and no windows were anywhere. The room reminded Sakura as a basement in a scary movie, with bizarre devices that could be used for unimaginable things.

As Sakura cautiously walked around the room, she noticed another door on the other side of the room. Taking a deep breath, Sakura made her way towards the door and opened it. She braced herself as she pulled the door handle towards her. Boy was she surprised when she came face to face with a rabid human foaming at the mouth.

'_What the hell?!' _Sakura shouted as she froze in her spot, watching with wide emerald eyes, as the human looked her up and down.

Once the human sniffed Sakura's scent, his nostrils flared and he lunged at her. Sakura grabbed his hand and flipped him behind her, and watched the man fly across the room, crashing into a piece of science equipment.

"Oh no." Sakura told herself, she was no expecting to be chased around in a labyrinth like base this early in the morning by some strange man.

She watched as the human's hands turned into claws, his teeth turned into fangs and his whole body started to morph into an animal. Not wanting to stay there for very long, Sakura looked left and right, trying to find a way out of the room besides the way she came. Unfortunately for her, there was only one way out.

"Just great." Sakura mumbled to herself. "The one way out is on the other side of the room!"

The human/animal lunged himself back at Sakura, causing Sakura to duck down to the ground, his claws just missing her cheek. Her brain tried to think of a way out of the situation as she crawled behind a lab table, providing a defense for herself.

'_With no way out besides the way I came, it will be hard to get out thanks to all the equipment in here.' _Sakura thought as she saw the animal lunge towards her.

Not wanting to be injured by the animal, Sakura stood up and pushed the lab table over, causing the rabid animal to run into the table, making a dent in the metal table.

Meanwhile, down below, Pein's eyes narrowed as the banging continued on in the room above. The room above his office was solemnly for testing the Jinchuriki's power. He had many of his teenage servants be used as the Ginny pig in experimenting how well the Demons' powers would combine with human DNA.

'_Who ever is up there is destroying my work.' _He thought bitterly.

"What the hell is making all that fucking noise!?" Hidan stated angrily as he covered his ears trying to block out the noise.

Konan's blue eyes watched the ceiling as if she could see the commotion happening above her. She listened to the banging and could only guess that their experimenting has awakened some anger emotion from the test subject.

'_If only we could see exactly……'_

Sakura had to think fast, she was either lunch meat to some science project or she could live. Obviously she chose the later option. It wouldn't take long for the angered animal to break the lab tables that distanced herself from him and that would be the end of her.

'_Well if I can't exit out the way I came, I guess I'll make one!' _Sakura shouted determinedly to herself.

Not wasting any more time, she stood up on top of a lab table. She watched as the beast stopped thrusting its body into a lab table and growled at her. He got down on all fours and started to run towards Sakura's lab table.

Sakura jumped up in the air as the animal came charging at her, causing the lab tables to fall down in the process. As her fist came in contact with the floor she felt a flare strike within her. She couldn't believe it! Her chakra was there! They didn't drain her chakra yet! _'Yes! For once luck is on my side!'_

Konan watched with wide eyes as she saw a fist pop out from the ceiling. She looked to see everyone staring at the fisted hand, but as they continued to watch the fist, the hole in the ceiling become bigger.

"What in the name…" Kisame started to say as Sakura jumped from the hole in the ceiling and back flipped away from the hole she just made.

Tobi watched as the pink haired woman fly through the ceiling. _'Tobi remembers what Tobi was supposed to do! Tobi was supposed to drain her chakra!' _He thought innocently, not realizing what trouble he would be in if his Leader found out.

Pein stared at his little guest with curiosity. "How did you get there little one?" He asked with a sickening dark tone.

Konan watched as Sakura paid no attention to Pein and continued to look at the hole in the ceiling. "Sakura, what is going on?" Konan asked, trying to keep her stern side but at the same time trying to reach out to Sakura.

Sakura shot Konan a look and was about to answer her, when the animal jumped down from the hole and bared his teeth towards Sakura.

"What the fuck is that?!" Hidan shouted as he stared wide eyed at the ugly beast in front of Sakura.

Sakura stared at the beast as it crawled closer and closer to her. Although she had her chakra it wasn't much and she had a feeling that the sick bastard of a leader was going to watch it until he felt the need to stop the experiment.

'_Just great. I try to get out of a room and I just trap myself in another one!'_

Sakura didn't know what to do. She was unarmed and she could only show so much of her skill to the Akatsuki. Fear raised through her as the animal stalked towards her. She felt so helpless, just like when she was thirteen again. She felt the need to kick herself for even being this weak.

'_If only something could help me…' _Sakura said fearfully as she tried to figure out a way to subdue the creature.

Deep in the base, the Demons were still sleeping the day away. Tae watched them all continue to sleep and felt peaceful, that is until she heard that girl's voice again.

'_If only something could help me…!' _It said fearfully.

Tae glared at the voice and huffed. **"Why would I help you when you are simply a human?" **Tae whispered, not wanting to wake up her family.

She heard the voice say the same thing again, and couldn't help but feel guilt tug at her heart. _**'Why am I feeling this way?' **_Tae thought to herself.

Tae summoned her demonic chakra and formed a ball in one of her hands. As she said a few ancient words, the ball became glass and she saw the pink haired girl being cornered by some type of animal. Tae could sense some of her brother's, Jin, chakra present in the animal.

'_**That is what they did to Jin's chakra when they took a sample of it' Tae**_ realized as she watched the way the animal pounced towards Sakura.

At the sight of the girl fighting some creation holding her brother's chakra, Tae felt something unimaginable swell up inside her. One side of her didn't want to help the poor woman and hoped she would be eaten by the animal, but the more logical part of her knew she had to save her.

'_**Even if I don't believe in the girl, my family does, and even though I don't see eye-to-eye with them that doesn't mean that I have to disregard how they feel. Humans think that us Demons are selfish. And in some ways we are, but when it has to do with our family, we would do anything for them.'**_

And with that thought, Tae decided to help the girl out. _**'But how would I help her out?' **_Tae pondered.

When Tae studied the scene more closely, she watched as the rabid animal lunged at Sakura once again. Tae wasn't sure if sending her chakra to find its way to Sakura would help but she had to try. After everything she heard about the Demon Tamer, they said that the Tamer could come in contact with active Demon Chakra no matter how far away.

'_**That myth better be right.' **_Tae thought as she released some of her chakra into the air and stealthily sneaked it out into the hallway.

Sakura watched the animal lunge towards her and for some strange reason; she didn't have the strength to move out of the way. _'Come on! Move legs move!' _She shouted to herself, only to see that they wouldn't move.

Pein watched the scene with narrowed eyes. When he saw his experiment out of its container he was curious to see what would happen. If Sakura was indeed what Zetsu said she was, she could of calmed down the beast in the human, but it seemed like she had no idea what to do.

As the animal moved closer and closer to Sakura, Sakura felt something warm on her chest. Her emerald eyes dropped down to look inside her cloak only to see her pendant glowing white.

When her eyes returned to staring at the animal all of a sudden a barrier came between her and the animal. The barrier shined with a white glow mixed in with red demonic chakra.

She watched as the beast was thrown backwards towards Pein's desk. Before Sakura could figure out what happened, the barrier was gone and she felt Pein's eyes glaring at her.

She stood in the office for a few moments, but ran out of that room. She would of made it out of there if Pein didn't stop her at the door.

"Where do you think you are going?" He asked her darkly as she felt his stare on her.

Sakura didn't look up and felt the need to get out of that room very strong. She didn't even have the ability to say anything so she stayed silent.

Pein narrowed his eyes at her and turned his attention to Konan. "Konan, take her to the library." Pein stated. _'I'll deal with her later.'_

Konan bowed down and walked over to Sakura. "Yes Pein." She stated, as she grabbed Sakura's arm and took her out of the office and shutting the door behind her.

When the door was shut Pein looked towards his cluster of members. "Zetsu, did you know she could do that?" Pein asked with a purpose behind it.

Zetsu studied the event that happened in front of him. The Demon Tamer was only noted for calming down demons not summoning a barrier and knocking down anything that came in contact with it.

"Leader, that barrier…. It wasn't….."

Pein didn't let Zetsu finish, for he had already came to that conclusion, once he felt the chakra enter his study. "Yes." He said to Zetsu as he turned his attention to Deidara and Tobi. "Find more information about this." He ordered, causing Deidara and Tobi to exit his study.

Pein turned his attention towards the three remaining members and stared blankly at them. "Hidan, go check the Demons and make sure nothing is out of place."

Hidan shot Itachi one last glare and poofed away. When Hidan was gone Pein instructed Kisame and Itachi to return to the room above them and fix up the lab. Kisame grabbed the animal and the two of them disappeared from Pein's sight.

Pein eyed the hole in his ceiling and felt the need to grunt. _'Fist the little woman makes holes in my walls and now she makes holes in my ceiling…which reminds me…Tobi didn't drain her chakra. He will pay dearly for his mistake.' _Pein thought to himself as he exited his office and made his way down to the library.

* * *

_**Author's Note:**_ Sorry everyone, but I had to fix up this chapter. The way the chapter was written last night did not please me at all. Last night I wanted to just get it out to you all and so today, right after school, I made finishing touches on it. Hope you all enjoyed it! Sorry for the long wait! :(

Please tell me if any character is OOC and if so how could I not make the OOC.

THANKS FOR READING!!! :)


	25. Chapter 25

_**Author's Notes: **_Oh guys, I'm so ashamed of myself…I didn't update as fast as I would have liked for this story. For that, I am terribly sorry. I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter and now I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)

ENJOY!! AND PLEASE REVIEW!! :)

* * *

Sakura sat in the study feeling very restless and nervous. The look Konan was giving her was a big indication that she did something wrong. Sakura watched Konan's blue eyes search her body for any indication that could tell her where the barrier came from.

"Sakura, where did that barrier come from?" Konan finally asked, after she couldn't find out where the source was from.

Sakura shrugged her shoulders and shook her head from side-to-side. "I don't have a clue Konan! One minute I'm being chased by a rabid animal and the next second I have a white barrier in front of me!"

Konan nodded her head and sighed. "Sakura, do you know what you have done?"

Sakura stared at Konan with a confused expression, how the hell was she suppose to know that she did something wrong? _'All I did was try to get away from that science experiment.' _Sakura thought to herself as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"No Konan I don't know what I did." Sakura said honestly.

Konan stared at Sakura and decided to sit down in the chair on the other side of the table. "Sakura, you showed….how do I put this…" Konan thought on how to give Sakura the proper warning without giving any information away. "….just watch out ok?"

Sakura was even more confused now but decided to brush it off. She nodded towards Konan and decided to trust her words. Even if Konan was an Akatsuki member that didn't necessarily mean that she would screw Sakura over. At least, that was Sakura wanted to believe.

'_I know that she is Akatsuki, but she is the only one that has befriended me. Well besides Itachi, but that's a different story.'_

Konan shot Sakura a sympathetic look. She knew what was in store for Sakura and she felt guilty for what they were going to do to her once they were able to get her near the demon's container.

'_What am I thinking?! I shouldn't feel bad for the enemy! But yet….' _

Sakura watched as Konan shook her head from side to side. Sakura flashed Konan a worried look and got up from her seat. She walked over to Konan and placed her hands on Konan's shoulders. She could feel how tense Konan felt, and couldn't help but feel sorry for the woman. Here she was trying to be an Akatsuki member and a friend to the enemy at the same time.

'_Maybe if I can use the last of my chakra to remove the tension in her shoulders then maybe she'll feel better.' _Sakura thought sincerely.

Before Konan could stop Sakura, she felt a warm sensation flow through her body. When Konan turned her head, she saw a green light erupting from Sakura's hands. Sakura made eye contact with her and smiled brightly towards her.

"Just relax Konan; all I am doing is relaxing your muscles. You get yourself too stressed out. You should take a breather once and a while." Sakura said kindly.

Konan waited until Sakura sat back down in her chair before she began to talk. There was something Konan had been meaning to ask Sakura ever since she sensed the Uchiha's chakra near Sakura's room last night.

"Sakura." Konan began, grabbing the Tamer's attention. "What happened last night?" She asked.

Konan watched as the girls face went bright red. _'Something happened last night with the Uchiha. But what?'_

"Sakura, tell me." Konan ordered one Sakura wasn't saying anything.

Sakura felt the heat rise in her system. She wasn't expecting Konan to ask that, actually she didn't even know that Konan was awake that late last night.

"What are you talking about Konan?" Sakura asked, trying to hide her shock and embarrassment.

"I sensed Itachi exiting your room last night. Why was he in there in the first place?" Konan asked with a suspicious glare.

Sakura gulped and couldn't figure out a way to get out of this conversation. How was she going to explain that Itachi and she were dating? Just thinking about it in that way made Sakura want to blush even more than she was.

"That's ridiculous Konan. Why would Uchiha-San be in my room?" Sakura asked.

Little did the two women know, they had a visitor, watching their conversation. Pein was hiding in the shadows watching what Konan was saying to Sakura and it irked him to death to see Konan getting attached to Sakura. _'I could use this to my advantage. If I have Konan get close to our little guest, then her guard will be down, and we can corner her into a trap.' _He told himself while a wicked plan formed in his head. _'But if Konan becomes attached to our enemy, then there will be complications.' _Pein thought with a growl, hoping that Konan wouldn't be as attached to Sakura as she seemed.

"Don't lie to me Sakura. I know something is going on. I could see it when you first blew through Pein's office." Konan stated with a glare. "His posture was too tense for his normal slouch."

"I'll answer your question…if…you answer my question." Sakura said cunningly as she gave Konan a smirk of her own.

Konan raised a brow towards Sakura and proceeded with caution. Sakura was up to something that much was for certain. "What would that be?"

Sakura's smirk was blown away and replaced with a wide wicked smile. "How come you are the only one that calls the Leader "Pein" and everyone else calls him Leader?" Sakura asked hoping to put Konan in the same awkward place she just came from.

Pein felt the need to stay unnoticed a little bit longer. His guest was making this conversation very intriguing for him. He knew that the other members found it eerie that she was the only one that called him by his name, but he didn't care. He trusted her more than anyone else in the whole building, but she would never know the reason why he trusts her more than necessary.

Sakura sat back in her seat in pure victory as she watched Konan somewhat tense up once again. "Now don't let my hard work go to waist Konan." Sakura said with a smile.

Konan felt her shoulders tense and that's when she felt Pein's chakra to the side of them, hidden in the shadows. _'Damn. How much of the conversation did he hear? Probably all of it.'_

"It's ok if you don't want to answer Konan, I'm sure I know why you are the only one that calls him by his name." Sakura said smartly.

Konan shot Sakura a side glare and gave her a "we-will-talk-about-it-later" look. "Hello Pein." She said in her usual cold tone.

Sakura felt her smile fall and her muscles go tense. If she would have known that he was standing there, she would have not said a word to Konan about anything.

The two women watched as the Akatsuki leader came out of the shadows and walked over towards Konan, who got out of her seat and motioned for him to sit in it.

"So why do you think that Konan is the only one that calls me that little one?" Pein said with a wicked smile.

Sakura shot the man a glare, only to have him chuckle at her actions. "Now you are not talking?" He said with a glare and an added smirk for effects.

"What do you want?" Sakura asked with a vicious tone added mixed in with her question.

Konan stood up straight and watched as Pein toyed with Sakura, she could only imagine what he had in store for Sakura's questioning. _'As long as he stays clear of our conversation from before we are good.' _She thought to herself.

"I want to know how you summoned that barrier little one." He told Sakura. "I'm not one that easily admits that I'm confused on any jutsu." He said with an impassive face.

Sakura stared at him for a few moments before her brain decided to form a plan. She was going to toy with him, as a way to get back at him for having her locked up in here.

Sakura leaned over the table and rested her elbows on the table, placing her chin on top of her folded hands, just like her Sensei would do when she was thinking. "You want to know how I did it?" Sakura asked him with a mischievous sparkle in her eye.

Pein caught the sparkle in her eyes and wondered what she was going to do. "Don't make me repeat myself little one." He said.

Sakura started to feel the need to smirk, but held it down, the smirk would show when the time came. "How do you know that I'm not lying when I tell you?" Sakura asked him.

Konan felt the need to smack the Kunoichi in front of her. She was playing with fire and she was surly going to get burned. _'Oh Sakura what am I going to do with you.'_

Pein stared at the woman in front of him with his impassive face. "You're right little one." He got up and in a flash he was right behind Sakura. "But if I find out you are lying to me I will do unimaginable things to you."

Sakura felt a shiver of fear run across her skin, but didn't let it show. He couldn't hurt her if he wanted her ability to calm the demon's down. If she can show him that she wasn't afraid of him, then he wouldn't have be thriving on her fear. "Give me your best shot." She told him with a smirk on her face.

Pein was a little taken back from her boldness. He brought his face away from the side of her face and stood there for a few minutes. Konan watched her Leader closely only to feel the world stop spinning.

"Pein, don't!" Konan shouted.

Pein paid no attention to Konan and before Sakura knew it Pein sent her into a world beyond her imagination. Sakura felt her eyes close once she saw his hands even make a tiny movement, but he was to fast for her.

Sakura opened her eyes only to be in an alternate universe. Everything around her was painted in dark red and time seemed to stop.

'_What is this place?' _Sakura thought to herself as she spun around in a circle, trying to figure out where she was.

"Now are you afraid little one? I can do whatever I please in this world and for as long as I would like." He said with a sinister chuckle at the end.

Sakura swallowed her fear and planted her feet in the ground. "I told you to give me your best shot!" Sakura shouted.

She heard a chuckle and before she could react someone came flying towards her, knocking her backwards with a single punch. Sakura recovered from her shock and landed gracefully on her feet.

'_Who the hell was that?' _She thought to herself, forgetting that he could read her mind in this world.

"Let's see how strong you are Demon Tamer." Pein said in a deep sinister tone.

Sakura finally realized what this whole thing was about. He wanted her to toy with him, he wanted her to stand up to him, all so he could trap her in this screwy world and test her abilities.

"So that's what this whole thing was about?! Just to see what I can do?!" Sakura yelled.

"Oh aren't you a smart one." He said as someone sent another kick combo towards Sakura.

Sakura watched as the blur came towards her again. Not letting him get the upper hand this time, Sakura watched his kicks and after a few movies, she was able to predict his pattern.

Pein watched his clone fight against Sakura and watched expecting her to throw the clone across the room. When Sakura threw the body across the room, it was then, that she was able to see who was fighting her. In front of her was….Kisame?

"What the hell?!" She shouted as "Kisame" pulled out his sword and began to charge towards Sakura. _'How could Kisame get here?!' _She thought as she dodged his sword.

"Have fun little one." Pein's voice broke in as he continued to watch her battle against his clone.

Sakura couldn't do anything expect dodge everything "Kisame" threw at her. She had no chakra, no weapons, and her strength was slowly disappearing.

'_That was his whole plan all along. After he figured out that I had chakra he predicted that I would use it to help others, making my chakra reserves become empty.'_

Sakura continued fighting with the Kisame clone with everything she had. She needed to buy herself some time and come up with a plan. _'Come on Sakura, think…the way Pein described it, it sounds like it holds components of a Genjutsu.' _

Sakura tired to corner Kisame a few times, but he was moving to fast for her to see. The only indication that told Sakura where he was coming from was the sound of his sword cutting through the air.

'_How do you disarm a Genjutsu? A genjutsu can be cut off from either stopping the flow of his chakra or even cutting the signal from his brain. But how can I cut off the signals going to the brain if I have no chakra?!'_

Pein listened as the girl talked to herself. He was a little impressed about how well she remembered the basics when they were taught at such a young age. _'Her memory is good, but lets see how well she thinks she can escape. '_

From the outside, Konan watched as Sakura's body began to show signs of bruising on her skin. She looked back at Pein's body only to shake her head. _'To think you would go as far as using your eyes to mimic Itachi's technique, just to test Sakura, you'd be lucky if she makes it out of there alive.'_

Before Konan could reflect on the predicament more, the double doors opened to reveal Itachi, Kisame, and Hidan. She stepped in front of Pein's body, hoping they wouldn't see what was going on.

"What do you want?" Konan asked them in her cold manner.

Hidan glared at the woman and began to talk. "Back off bitch. I'm here to see the Leader."

Konan narrowed her icy blue eyes towards Hidan. "He's busy."

"Oh really? With what exactly?" Hidan asked as he glared at her.

Konan shook her head and glanced at the Uchiha and Kisame. "Why are you two here?" She demandingly asked.

"We are here to tell Leader the status of his experiment, and something we found out…" Kisame said.

Konan sighed once again and shook her head. "You'll have to wait until he's free from his business."

"And what fucking business is that exactly?" Hidan stated.

Konan was about to brush the three ninja's off until Kisame pointed out what was behind her.

"He's right behind her. He doesn't look busy." Kisame told Konan, while flashing her a glare. "Women." He said under his breath as the three started to walk around her.

Konan wasn't going to try and stop them so she just watched their reactions. Hidan's eyes were about to pop out of his head, Kisame stared at Sakura and Pein with shock, while Itachi revealed nothing.

"What the fuck is going on?!" Hidan shouted.

Konan felt a sigh escape her lips. She had no reason to explain to the foul-mouth ninja what was going on, so she just remained quiet and took a seat near Pein.

"What is going on Itachi?" Kisame asked, he examined Sakura's face and noticed that her eyes were glazed back. It was like she wasn't in this world anymore. _'It reminds me when Itachi would use his Tsukuyomi on opponents. Man is that a scary sight.'_

Itachi said nothing and looked at Sakura's eyes, it didn't take him long to feel his blood freeze over. Her eyes were glazed back to the point where he knew she was in trouble. He stealthily looked over to Pein and felt the urge to interrupt whatever game he was playing with Sakura, but his Sharingan eyes just stared at his body. Not once did he travel to Pein's eyes.

'_Then he would get curious, and we don't need that. He better be done playing with Sakura soon. Leader's world is different from mine, its more taxing on the victim and more sinister.'_

The four Akatsuki members waited patiently for Pein and Sakura to come back to reality. Well, at least Itachi, Kisame, and Konan were. Hidan was swearing up and down the isle trying to pass the time.

Her energy was wearing fast, which was unusual. _'It is probably this twisted dimension….Wait a minute! That's it!' _Sakura thought to herself as her eyes went wide.

Pein narrowed his eyes towards the woman and was curious to see what she could have possibly figured out just by stating that the universe was another dimension.

Sakura stood still as the Kisame clone came running at her. She didn't care if it was a clone or not, but at this point she wanted to get out of the twisted world. When the Kisame clone was within reaching distance, Sakura grabbed the overly large sword, and pulled it out of his hands.

Pein watched her actions closely. He couldn't figure out what she was going to do, for once the sword was in Sakura's grasp she grabbed it and smirked.

"I figured out your secret." She said with a triumphant smile. "You control everything with your eyes, just like any other Kekkei Genkai, but what is different is that you can see through this clone's eyes." Sakura said as she stared right back at Pein through the clone's eyes. "Which means, all I have to do is…"

Pein watched it in slow motion. She rose up the sword and with one swift thrust, the sword sliced right through the clone's eye. Pein felt the vision of Sakura disappear from his left eye, because of the unexpected action, Pein had to let got of his world.

The four Akatsuki members watched as Pein's head began to move again. The four of them jumped to their feet and waited for their Leader to make a comment.

"Konan, take our guest back to her room." Pein said coldly as he disappeared from their sights.

Konan stared at Pein with indifferent eyes, but on the inside she felt worried for him. Her attention was brought back when she heard gasping coming from Sakura. Her head snapped around to see Sakura covered in sweat and gasping for air.

"What happened to you Pinky?" Hidan asked while eyeing how her body was glittering with the sweat pouring down her exposed skin.

Sakura glared at the man and stood up abruptly, causing her brain to spin a little. She looked towards Konan and frowned towards her. "Why didn't you tell me he was going to do that?!" Sakura yelled at Konan. "I could of avoided that sooner."

Konan shot Sakura a look and grabbed her arm. "Let's go Sakura." She said coldly, but Hidan had other ideas.

"Oh no you don't. Who said you were going anywhere?" Hidan said as he stared at Sakura. "What happened?" He asked demandingly.

Sakura stared at him and then turned her attention towards Itachi and Kisame. "There was a clone of you Kisame." Sakura said, not giving any other information.

"You're going to give me more fucking information than just that Pinky." Hidan ordered.

Sakura felt her anger rising. Hidan was just getting more annoying by the second. Itachi eyed Sakura's condition, very discreetly, and was surprised that she wasn't as tormented as he thought she might be.

"Hidan let Konan pass. Leader seems pissed as it is and we don't need anymore chores." Kisame told the man as he picked Hidan up, allowing Sakura and Konan to walk by.

"Thank you." Sakura said with a smile, took Konan's arm and walked out of the library.

Once the two woman were out of the library, Kisame shot the door they exited a confused look. "She seems pretty chipper for just getting out of Leader's world." Kisame said.

Itachi nodded his head and began to exit the room. Kisame felt Hidan squirm around in his hold. "Let me go you big fat ass of a fish!" He shouted.

Kisame's hold on Hidan became tight and Itachi could predict what would come next as he started to open the door from the library. "Just for that you little prick, you are coming with me. I need a punching bag to get some stress off." Kisame said as he took Hidan to the training grounds with him.

Itachi, on the other hand, decided to hide out until Konan left Sakura's room. He needed to get the full story on what happened. Not many people can be just fine after a high level genjutsu. _'With Pein doing the Genjutsu, which means there is no escape hole, and his hold is amazing. Leader either released Sakura, or she escaped.'_

It was a while until Konan walked out of Sakura's room. Itachi stayed attached to the ceiling, covered in shadows, until he could sense Konan's chakra entering Pein's office. After a few minutes he jumped down and opened Sakura's door.

After entering Sakura's room, he shut the door, and looked to see her facing the window. He gracefully made his way towards Sakura and leaned up against the wall beside her.

"Sakura." He said as he watched her face turn towards him.

Sakura wasn't startled when she heard his voice, in fact, she was quite content when she saw him next to her. "Hello Itachi." She said with a small smile.

Itachi stared at Sakura with suspicion. "What happened between you and him?" He asked.

Sakura sighed and shook her head from side-to-side. "I can't really explain it Itachi. First I was sitting in the library talking to him, and the next minute I'm in a world painted red." Sakura said.

She felt a hand grab her shoulder only to see gleaming red eyes shine with intensity at her. "Sakura, I told you not to harass him." Itachi told her, while his grip tightened. "He's more dangerous than anyone you have ever faced."

Sakura could tell how angry he was with her, with the way his eyes were screaming at her, and the way his grip became stronger. _'I guess I can't blame him, I understand that he is worried for me but…'_

"Itachi, I know, but he just gets me so mad!" Sakura yelled, causing Itachi to loosen his grip. "He thinks I'm a toy to play with! He expected me to egg him on, he expected me to fight back, and he's like a physic!" She yelled loudly as she got up from the window seat and paced around the room. "It's impossible to surprise him!"

Itachi watched her with a tint of worried eyes. He watched as her chest heaved up and down from being riled up. He saw her try to calm herself down with deep breaths, which he couldn't help but chuckle lightly at.

Sakura heard him chuckle at her, even if it was very small, and felt happy yet insulted at the same time. "How else do you want me to calm down It…"

Sakura didn't get a chance to finish her rant, for he grabbed her flaring arms and pulled her into a kiss. He released her lips gently, but didn't allow her to leave his proximity. "Sakura, calm down. I will make sure he won't come near you." Itachi whispered in her ear.

Sakura moved her hands from his neck and pulled him into her. Itachi's muscle reaction was to tense up, but they soon relaxed once he realized that she was hugging him.

"Thank you Itachi." Sakura told him as her grip on him tightened and she stayed pressed up against him.

Meanwhile, once Konan left Sakura's room, she decided to check on Pein. After he came back from the Genjutsu he placed on Sakura, she could tell that he wasn't the same. Something happened between the two of them and it was obvious that it didn't please Pein at all.

'_I better go and check up on him.' _She thought to herself as she knocked on his office door and entered the room without a response.

Blue eyes shined in the pitch black room, she searched for him only to find him laying on his lounge chair. Soundlessly, she approached him and sat down on the chair next to his.

"Pein, what happened?" Konan asked gently.

Pein made no movement and just grunted towards her. "She had no chakra and she caught me off guard…there is something about that woman that is strange." He said half to himself and half to Konan.

"What do you mean?" She asked, trying to figure out what exactly he meant.

Sakura told her what happened between her and Pein, every detail of it, and when Sakura told her that she figured out Pein's main power it startled her. The young woman was too smart for her own good, maybe that was what had Pein in such a bind?

Pein's abrupt movement caught Konan off guard and before she knew it, her back was meeting the wall, her face was in his grasp. Her calm blue eyes looked up towards him and saw anger flash through his eyes.

"Konan this has to stop." He said angrily.

Konan blinked at him as an act to say that she was confused. Pein's grip on her face tightened and he pushed her back into the wall even more.

"Stop making friends with the enemy!" He shouted at her.

"Pein…at least let me…" Konan would of squeaked if it wasn't for her self control. Pein threw her across the room and watched her body fly into a book shelf.

"Don't explain to me Konan! She is the enemy and here you are trying to play gossip girl with her! We can not get involved with any enemy. It means death Konan!" He shouted towards the bookshelf.

Konan appeared right behind Pein and could feel the anger and slight worry radiating off him. "Pein she won't do anything to me." She said softly, as she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Pein turned around abruptly and grabbed her hand with his. "She has wisdom that is considered a threat, she could kill you any second once she orders those demons to attack you." He scolded her.

Konan covered his hand with her other hand, as an act to calm him down. "Pein, she doesn't even realize her own power, even if she did…she wouldn't hurt me." Konan said the last part quietly as she looked away from him and made her eyes stare at the floor.

Pein raised his free hand up and turned her chin to look at him. She could see many emotions crossing his face, even if his eyes showed nothing but emptiness. "You will stop talking to her as if she was your sister Konan. I don't need anymore members killed." He said in a rough tone.

Konan held back her emotions and kept her calm exterior. She removed her hands from his and bowed deeply towards him. "Yes Pein, I will do whatever you say." She told him as she turned around on her heel and proceeded to walk out his door.

Once his door was shut, he threw the closest thing to him against the wall. _'That Tamer is screwing everything up!' _He thought enraged as he replayed Konan's last words in his head.

Konan was normally the one that kept him calm, that helped him when a problem needed to be solved. She never showed disrespect towards him and in return he would do the same. Pein knew she disagreed with him just by the way she told him that she would follow his orders and he went back towards his lounge chair.

"It's for her own good…" He started to tell himself. "Konan will see that the Tamer will want to kill her and then she will thank me for warning her." He took a deep breath and stared up at his black ceiling. "Konan, forgive me, but this is for your own good. Out of all the ninja here, you are the most important one." He finished as he closed his eyes and drifted off into a light sleep.

* * *

_**Author's Note:**_ I hope you all liked that one! There is some SakuXIta fluff and PeinXKonan fluff! :) I apologize for any spelling errors or grammatical errors, my p.c.'s spell check is not working. Why? I have no idea. But I wanted to get this chapter out to all of you. I'm sorry if Pein is OOC but he needed a wake up call.

The story is wrapping up, only a few more chapters left, and as you can see it is getting juicy!

PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME ANY COMMENTS YOU HAVE ABOUT THE STORY! CRITIZISM IS WELCOMED! :)

:)


	26. Chapter 26

_**Author's Notes: **_Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! They mean so much to me and it makes me want to work harder to please you all!!

ENJOY!! AND PLEASE REVIEW!! :)

* * *

It had been a week since Sakura's fight with Pein, and the base seemed to be more quiet than usual. Sakura did not see Konan as much as she used too, even Itachi never stopped by. It made Sakura nervous and it showed.

Sakura paced around her room, walking in circles, she couldn't figure out why she has been stuck in her room for over a week. The only human contact she got was when Hidan or Kisame would bring her breakfast, lunch, and dinner. _'Something isn't right.' _Sakura thought to herself as she stopped pacing around her room, as she felt her nervousness subsiding.

She turned her body towards the door and narrowed her eyes at it, like she was treating it like a person. _'If they want to keep me out of their business, that's fine with me, I'll just find a way out of this twisted base!"' _Sakura thought to herself as she grabbed her cloak and tied it around her neck.

Sakura exited her room and continued down the hallways of no return. She was determined to finally get out of lair that she was locked up in for what seemed like forever. When she first arrived at the base, she was overwhelmed by it all, and the thought of escaping never crossed her mind. Now all she could think about was her home and everyone in it.

'_Are they even looking for me?'_ Sakura asked herself as she continued to walk down a familiar hallway. As she looked up from the stone floor she noticed that it was the same hallway that Kisame tried to keep her out of. _'What's so important about this hallway anyway?'_ Sakura thought as she walked down the hallway and began to open the door.

From the other side of the room, the Demons stood still in fear. Shukaku looked towards his brothers and sisters only to see them feeling the same nervousness and confusion cross their face.

"**We have to get her out of here."** Nobu told Shukaku with anxiousness.

"**And how do you purpose we do that?"** Tae told Nobu with an eyebrow raised to the ceiling. She knew her brothers were too "macho" to think this far ahead.

Nobu shrugged his shoulders and Nobu joined Shukaku with pacing around the container in panic. Tae shook her head and took a seat near Emi. **"You'd think they'd be smarter than this." **Tae said while sending her brothers a piercing glaze.

Emi nodded her head timidly and continued to look at the wall of their prison. **'We don't want Sakura-San to be in danger.' **She thought to herself, hoping Sakura would be smart enough to turn back around.

Sakura grasped the handle and pulled the door open, only to see an empty room. The walls were covered in white paint and the floor was covered in beige rug. "Where am I?" Sakura asked herself as she shut the door and walked around the small room.

Her eyes darted around the empty room as she didn't hear her voice echo off the empty walls, causing her eye brow to rise in the air, normally empty rooms would have sound waves bounce off the walls. _'Humm…that's odd.' _Sakura said as she lifted her index finger and thumb up to her chin and stroked it softly.

The Demons stood very still as the watched Sakura walk around the room. She had no idea that they were trapped inside the room, but it brought somewhat a relief to Shukaku's face to now that Sakura was noticing something different.

"**Shukaku-San, what should we do?" **Emi asked him as her eyes continued to follow Sakura's movements around the room.

Shukaku turned his attention away from Sakura and to Nobu. **"Lock the door Nobu. The last thing we need is for the Akatsuki to come in and activate anything." **Shukaku said as he stepped in front of Sakura's path, only to have her walk right through him. He then turned his attention towards Riki. **"Riki, direct your chakra towards Sakura, maybe if we are able to put her to sleep we can talk to her through her dreams." **Shukaku ordered Riki and summoned his red chakra to enter Sakura's system.

While Riki's chakra was entering her body, Sakura felt a major pressure come down on her. She looked back and forth between the small room and couldn't seem to find anyone near her that could be causing her this uncontrollable feeling, it felt like her mind was going into a hazy state. The medic inside Sakura kicked in and Sakura felt her instincts go crazy, someone was trying to make her body fall asleep on her. _'There could be some type of Genjutsu in this room.' _Sakura thought as she ran towards the door, hoping to exit it before the jutsu finished its task.

The Jinchuriki's watched as pink hair flew through the air and watched as her body fell to the floor in an awkward position. Emi ran over towards Sakura and tried to set her body up in a comfortable position, only to have her claw-like hands go right through Sakura. **"How long do you think it will take us to get in touch with Sakura-San?" **She asked Tae as she slowly stepped away from the human.

Tae saw her brother's and sister's eyes on her and she felt a sigh escape her lips. **"It won't take long. I'll guide her here." **Tae said as she sat down in a cross legged position and got into a meditated state.

Sakura woke up to a pounding headache. Her emerald eyes opened only to see her body floating through an unknown world. She jumped up to her feet and looked around, watching as nothing but herself continued to float in the atmosphere. _'Where am I?' _Sakura asked herself as she pinched the bridge of her nose to subside the pain of her headache.

"**You are in a world kind of like what you humans call Limbo." **Said a voice.

Sakura felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand straight up by how demonic the voice sounded. Her head snapped back and forth trying to find the source of the voice. "Who are you?!" Sakura yelled, half hoping her question would be answered and the other half hoping she would wake up right then and there.

The voice let out a light chuckle and before Sakura could avoid it, a white light shined brightly before her, causing her to cover her eyes with her hands. When Sakura lifted her hands away from her eyes, she was greeted with a sight of a blue haired woman dressed in a dark blue dress that stopped at her knees. **"Well little girl, I wasn't expecting you to be so tiny." **Said Tae with a fang filled smile.

Sakura narrowed her emerald eyes at the "person" in front of her and felt her fists clench. "What did you say?!" Sakura growled out with anger evident in her voice.

Tae chuckled, once again, towards Sakura. **"Don't get so defensive. For the power you hold, it's very….surprising."** She told Sakura.

Sakura raised a brow towards the other person. "Who are you?" She asked again, hoping this time her question would be answered.

"**My name is Tae, I am the water Demon."** Tae informed Sakura, as she watched her eyes widen with shock. **"I assume you have met my younger brothers Nobu, Shukaku, and Kyuubi. Of course you have already met my littlest sister Anri."** Tae told Sakura as she watched the human's face fill with shock. **"After all, she is the one that told us about you."** Tae added in as she continued to watch Sakura's astonishment grow even more.

Sakura felt her breath get caught in her throat. Who was this Demon? She never met her before, yet the Demon already knew who she was, it unnerved her but Sakura swallowed it down and continued to watch the Demon before her. It still amazed her how beautiful the female race of Demons looked, it reminded her of a rose. One that looks beautiful on the outside but holds thorns on the inside.

Tae's black eyes watched Sakura as she tried to figure out who Tae was. **"I am the oldest sibling amongst the Jinchuriki's…"** Tae informed the baffled human before her. **"My younger brother, Riki, brought you here."** Tae exclaimed as she pointed to the world around them. **"My family is expecting your arrival, we have much to discuss, so come on slow poke."** Tae said with added humor at the end.

Sakura blinked a few times at the joke the Demon tried to make towards her, but decided not to comment on it, instead she followed Tae into the blinding white light.

The remaining Demons waited until a white light entered their room. They waited until they saw Tae and Sakura emerge from the light. Tae strolled towards her family and took her place next to Shukaku, while Sakura stood in the same spot she arrived in.

"**Hello again Sakura."** Shukaku said to Sakura with a fang smile, much like Tae's moments ago.

Sakura stood in her spot, still as stone; she looked around the room to see all the Demon's looking down at her. Her eyes continued to look around the room, trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling that washed upon her with all the Jinchuriki's stares on her, until she saw her own body up against the door. Shukaku watched as her eyes widened. "So that's what that pressure came from!" Sakura shouted her realization to herself. Her glaze left her own body and turned towards the raccoon Demon before her. "What do you want from me?!" Sakura yelled

Shukaku's smile disappeared and his eyes stared intently towards her. **"Sakura you are in danger here. The only way for us to get in contact with you is when you are asleep…"** Shukaku was going to continue until Sakura cut him off.

"So you decided to physically put me to sleep instead of waiting for me to go to sleep naturally?!" Sakura yelled, enraged at the strong Demon before her.

Shukaku shook his head and he continued with his explanation. **"We needed to contact you quickly before any of the Akatsuki members come looking for you."** Shukaku explained.

Sakura was still unset and she couldn't help but turn back around and stare at her sleeping form. "How come I can see you now and I couldn't when I first walked into the room?" Sakura asked.

Nobu decided to speak and stepped forward**. "Pein placed a strong Genjutsu around this room, if intruders walk in the room, the room would seem empty. Only those who know the seals can deactivate the Genjutsu."** He explained to her as Sakura continued to study the room.

Sakura felt all the pieces of the puzzle fall into her lap. She understood why there was no echo in the room when she first arrived. _'It all makes sense now…why didn't I see it before?' _Sakura thought to herself angrily but her anger slowly subsided and she returned back to the situation at hand. The realization of the events came crashing down on her. "When you said I was in danger, what do you mean I'm in danger? Of course I know I am! They want to use my chakra to calm all your chakra down." Sakura said as she pointed to each and every Demon in front of her. "I already know that." Sakura exclaimed as her arms crossed over her chest and she huffed angrily.

"**Sakura you don't understand, the Leader has a plan to corner you in here and use your power until there is nothing left."** Nobu told her, causing her face to fall. **"It's like…he wants to suck you dry and use everything you have. He has no intension of releasing you from this place."** Nobu continued to tell Sakura, as her mood fell.

The family of Demons watched as her face fell into complete seriousness. Her predicament was no longer a game anymore; she was right when she decided that she needed to escape. Her serious emerald eyes turned towards Shukaku. "What do I need to do?" She asked, anger was erased from her face and was replaced with a stern expression.

Tae stepped forward and smirked towards her. **"Unlike my brothers, Emi and I have devised a plan."** Tae said as she turned her head towards Emi.

Sakura nodded her head. "Ok, let's here it then! If they want to kill me I really would like to try and avoid that." Sakura said as she clasped her hands together and waited to hear what the powerful Jinchurikis had to say.

Before Emi could start explaining the plan to Sakura, smoke filled the room. Sakura felt her body stiffen, but she noticed that the others acted like there was nothing wrong. Her eyes narrowed as she proceeded to gracefully slide down into a defensive crouch.

Once the smoke cleared she felt the world around her freeze, she couldn't believe who was in front of her. She watched as Shukaku walked up to Kyuubi and patted him on the shoulder.

"**What's happening in Konoha, Kyuubi?"** He asked.

Kyuubi stared at Shukaku with narrowed red eyes. **"Shukaku, why do I feel Sakura's presence in this very room?"** He said angrily as he looked around only to see her fallen form on the floor, sleeping. **"I told you not to let her near you!"** He yelled, furious that his brother went against his orders.

Sakura felt the power illuminating off of Kyuubi and knew it was time to talk some sense into the hotheaded Demon. "Kyuubi!" Sakura yelled as she walked up to Shukaku and Kyuubi.

Shukaku watched as Kyuubi's eyes popped out of his head. **"S-Sakura?! What are you doing here?!"** He yelled as he stared down at the small human with complete shock on his face.

Sakura stared at the Junchurikis surrounding her and she shrugged her shoulders. "They were the ones that brought me here, but it's not like I mind, I mean they are the ones that are trying to break me out of here." Sakura said as she looked around the room for emphasis.

Kyuubi glared at his brothers and sisters and felt the need to bash his head against the wall. _**'Do they NOT know what "keep her away" means?!'**_

Tae lifted her claws on her younger brother's shoulder and watched him closely as his eyes landed on hers. **"Kyuubi, if we want to get Sakura out of here alive, we need to work together."** Her head turned towards Emi, then Sakura, and then back to him. **"Before you rudely interrupted, we were telling Sakura the plan of getting her out of here." **Tae stated as she narrowed her eyes towards him at the mention of his interruption.

"**Well you better hurry because the Kit has been driving me nuts trying to find this place."** Kyuubi said with a sigh, causing Sakura to gasp. **"It's harder than it looks to find a base half hidden underground."** Kyuubi said with a sigh.

"Naruto?! How is he doing?" She asked with a worried tone, her head shifted to her feet. "This is all my fault, because I wasn't thinking about trying to escape in the first place, I couldn't leave hints for anyone. I was selfish and thought of nothing but myself. Now…" Sakura felt the weight of her actions come crashing down on her shoulders. "….now…if we don't stop him soon, the Akatsuki will have capture him and will still have me." Sakura finished as a tear escaping her eye.

Emi knelt down to the human's level and gently placed a hand on her head. **"Don't c-cry Sakura-San, T-Tae-San and I w-will get you out o-of here in no time."** Emi said with a gentle smile.

Sakura stared deep into the Cat Demon's eyes, she saw sincerity and determination cross those eyes. In a way she felt better and she wiped the tears from her eyes and brought her attention back to reality. "What are we doing standing around here for?! Let's get to work!" Sakura ordered the Jinchuriki as she jumped up to her feet and felt the determination explode through her veins.

They all smirked her way and got to work. Emi and Tae took Sakura and filled her in on the details, while the male population got everything set up. Seals were written around the room with their blood and even pieces of fur would accompany the "decorations".

The smell of blood and other unknown substances entered Sakura's nose, but she didn't dare say anything, she was then lead to a corner in the room where Emi and Tae told her the plan.

"**Sakura-San, at midnight, we need you to come back here in this room. You won't be able to see us, but don't worry about it."** Tae said reassuringly.

"**As long as you stand in the center of the room, you will be all set."** Emi said with a small smile, finding the human's presence very peaceful, causing her nervousness to disappear.

Sakura nodded her head determinedly. "What do I do when I get in here?" She asked.

"**Make sure to lock the door and stand in the middle of the room. Leave the rest to us."** Tae said.

Sakura nodded her head, but her glaze turned towards the working Demons as they painted the walls with blood and fur. She felt a tug in her heart. _'They are willing to help me at the expense of their own exposure……If only there was a way I could get them out of this retched place.' _Sakura thought to herself.

Emi and Tae watched the human with curiosity. They knew that most ninja were designed to lock up their emotions. They watched their containers did it, but besides the human Kyuubi was still attached to, they never have seen a human show their emotions so openly.

The females were brought back to reality once they heard Nobu shout out loud: **"It's done!"**

Sakura shook her head to end her thoughts and watched as the Demons in front of her did the same thing. Sakura turned her attention back to Nobu and walked over towards the cluster of Demons. The more she watched each Demon interact with their family the more Sakura was driven to find a way to free the Demons. Who cares if they terrorized her village nineteen years ago, everyone deserves a second chance right? Maybe she could figure out what exactly her power was suppose to do to the Demons. If she could grace them with a happy ending, she would feel complete, even though they terrorized her town she believed they were instigated into doing such a drastic action.

Tae examined the wall and the two final Jinchurikis walked over to the wall and sliced open their finger tips. Sakura watched as the blood slowly dripped down their claw-like hands, her eyes watched as the red liquid was spread around the wall in strange patterns. Once the finishing touches were completed all the Demons turned towards Sakura with a smile.

Kyuubi knelt down on the floor and ruffled her hair. **"Remember Sakura to come back here at midnight."** He said in a low voice towards her, causing Sakura to nod her head in-between the ruffling of her head. _**'Finally we will be able to get you to escape this place.'**_He thought to himself as he stood up and watched as his family members wished Sakura good-bye. _**'When Anri said that she installed a sense of peacefulness on us, she wasn't kidding, Sakura is really the one that could return us all back to our home…'**_Kyuubi thought with a small smile.

Sakura felt a smile flash on her face as all the good-lucks were showered upon her. With determined eyes, she allowed Riki to send her back to the other part of reality. Sakura woke up to a winded feeling, but quickly brushed it off, as she rose to her feet and dusted imaginary dust off her cloak. As her petite ivory colored hand rested on the silver colored handle her head turned towards an imaginary spot in the room. A small smile of gratitude graced her face and she bowed her head in the Jinchuriki's direction. "Thank you all for your help and don't worry….your efforts will not be wasted." Sakura said as she slipped away from the room and made her way towards her room.

As Sakura ran down the hallways, she hoped that no one noticed her disappearance. She had no idea how long she had been with the Demons but she pushed her legs to carry her faster through the hallways. Sakura rounded the corner to her room, only to see Konan walking past her room. A light bulb went off in Sakura's mind, a smile slowly crept on Sakura's face. _'Maybe I could kill two birds with one stone.' _Sakura thought as she ran towards Konan, grabbed her by the arm, and shoved her into her room.

Konan felt her instincts yell at her as someone grabbed her arm and shoved her into Sakura's room. When she finally felt the person's grip off of her arm she sent a death glare towards the person. Sakura watched as Konan glared at her but her smile grew bigger as Konan's reaction.

Konan was completely confused. How did Sakura get out of her room? When did she get out of her room? Where was she coming from? What was she running from? As all these questions crossed Konan's mind, her blue eyes narrowed towards the pink-haired woman before her. "Sakura." Konan stated firmly. "What were you doing out of your room?" She asked in a cold tone.

Sakura felt her face fall and her mood change drastically. What happened to the Konan that used to greet her with warmth? Her emerald eyes blinked towards Konan. "Konan….what has happened to you?" Sakura asked as she tilted her head to the side to show her confusion.

Konan felt her heart tighten at Sakura's expression. She felt guilty for not talking to Sakura for the past week, but if she continued to see Sakura it would be harder for Konan to see Sakura be used for Pein's machine. When Pein said she held an attachment to Sakura, it killed her inside, but Pein was right. Sakura brought a different personality to her ninja world and it fascinated Konan. She wanted to learn more about her and along the way she picked up an unwanted friendship that escalated into much more than she ever thought she would hold for an enemy.

Sakura watched as Konan turned her head away from Sakura and began to walk back to the door. "Don't think about it." Sakura said as she grabbed Konan's arm and jerked Konan back towards her. "You aren't leaving here until you tell me what happened to you. Did I do something wrong?" Sakura asked as her voice grew very quiet.

Konan's head snapped around only to see the woman hiding behind her pink bangs. Konan reached out to Sakura and touched her shoulder. Screw Pein for the moment! This young woman was the closest friend she has ever had in all her life, she would be damned if Sakura blame herself for her own actions.

"No Sakura." Konan said as she watched Sakura's head rise up. Her blue eyes watched as those dark eyelashes fanned away the crystal like tears away from Sakura's eyes. "It was not your fault that I have been acting this way." Konan finally said as, a small, sad smile graced her lips.

Sakura sniffled and raised one slim pink eyebrow towards Konan. "Then has caused you to be like this Konan? I haven't seen you in a week and….I thought I did something wrong." Sakura confessed.

Konan shook her head and her grip on Sakura's shoulder tightened. "Sakura it was not your fault. Pein instructed that I leave you alone for a while." Konan told Sakura, making sure not to reveal anything else that they discussed that night.

To Konan's puzzlement, Sakura's mood bounced back and her face beamed with anxiousness. "Then come with me Konan!" Sakura said as she grabbed Konan's hand that rested on her shoulder and clasped it together with hers.

Konan shot Sakura a suspicious glare. "What are you talking about Sakura? Go where? You can't go anywhere, this place is heavily guarded." Konan told Sakura even though she was still suspicious of her words.

Sakura shook her head and her grasp on Konan tightened. "Konan come with me! I have a way out and you can come with me!" Sakura said urgently hoping Konan would come with her.

Konan slipped her hand away from Sakura's grasp and she backed Sakura up into a corner. "No one is coming for you Sakura. There is no way out." Konan said, feeling horrid that she had to state that her future would end at this base.

Sakura shook her head, causing her hair to whip her in the face. "No Konan just listen to me! You could start all over! You wouldn't have to worry about people coming after you!" Sakura said as she looked deep into Konan's blue eyes. "I believe that you were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Please come with me!" Sakura stated again.

Konan didn't understand what Sakura was thinking but she decided to go along with it, she needed to understand what was going through Sakura's mind. "Sakura I can't come with you." Konan said.

Sakura stared at Konan and grabbed her hand once again. "Yes you can! You could leave this place and come with me back to Konoha. We could let you start a new life. You could start all over and leave everyone behind." Sakura said.

Konan stared at Sakura with saddened eyes. The woman really wanted her to go with her, wherever it was she thought she was going, but when Sakura said that she would leave everyone behind she felt a tug in her heart. She shook her head more rapidly this time. Sakura watched as Konan allowed emotions to run wild within her, she had no idea what to expect from the only female Akatsuki member.

"Sakura…" Konan started to say as she stopped shaking her head and removed her hand away from Sakura once again. "I can't leave this place." She said seriously.

Sakura looked at the older woman like she was insane. Of course she could leave this inhumane place! "Of course you can Konan! Just come with me!" Sakura said for the third time.

Konan shook her head. "Sakura, don't you see?" Konan said as she extended her arms out away from her. "This whole place is where I belong." Konan continued to say as she stared down at Sakura. "I can't just leave everyone in here."

Sakura's eyes went wide at Konan's last words. She recognized the look that entered Konan's eyes when she said that, for she had that look once before, when she finally realized her feelings for Itachi. "Konan…" Sakura said softly only to have Konan continue on with her rant.

"After our conversation in the library and everything else that happened that night, I had….I had a revelation." Konan started to explain to Sakura. "I realized what you were indicating to me at the library and it makes sense now…" Konan said as Sakura noticed how her eyes held a distant look. "Everything that has happened between me and Pein makes sense now…" Konan ended her rant and returned back to reality. Sakura watched as her intensive blue eyes came shooting back towards her. "Do you know how much it would hurt to backstab the one that…" Sakura watched as Konan faltered over the next couple of words that she was trying to say, but Sakura didn't need her to explain anything, for she knew what Konan was trying to admit.

Sakura stepped closer towards Konan and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. Konan looked down at the petite hand and followed the arm it was connected to until she came face to face with Sakura. Sakura held Konan's glaze for a few moments until a sad smile reached Sakura's face. "Konan you don't need to explain it to me. I know what you are trying to say…and I can relate in that same way to you…although I can't tell you how." Sakura said before she allowed Konan to question her. "…are you sure you want to stay here?" Sakura asked one last time, trying to see if she could turn around the Akatsuki's mind. Deep down Sakura hoped that Konan would see the light in coming to Konoha with her.

Konan slowly shook her head from side to side. A sad frown present on her face. "No Sakura I can not come with you…maybe if…if I wasn't so emotionally tied here I would." Konan said with hidden meaning in her words.

Sakura nodded her head in understanding and released Konan from her grasp. Emerald eyes watched as the black cloak with red clouds on it swayed in the air and out her door. Once the door was shut Sakura fell to the floor and released a big gasp, her vision returned to the door and she bite her lip with uncertainty. _'Did my outburst raise suspicion in Konan? Will she report my accusations to Pein and everyone else in the base?' _Sakura shook her head and looked towards the digital clock that resided on her night stand. _'I have a couple more hours until it's time to leave, I don't think Konan will rat me out.' _Sakura felt uncertainly flush over her whole body and she began to shake. _'What am I talking about?! Of course she will! She's Akatsuki!' _Sakura thought horridly. _'I guess I'll pray to the Gods and hope that luck is on my side this time.' _

Sakura sat in her room watching the red lines, which made up the numbers on the digital clock, pass by before her eyes. The hours flew by as Sakura waited for the designated time to arrive. When Kisame brought her food, Sakura took it without a word and slowly ate the food as he exited to room, she peeked behind Kisame to see Itachi staring right back her. Her face fell when she watched him shot her an apologetic glance, or what you could consider apologetic for an Uchiha.

When the digital clock turned midnight, Sakura took a deep breath and stood up. Her legs felt numb at first, but she walked around the room and the blood began to circulate through them again. _'Ok Sakura, get ready!' _Sakura thought as she tied the cloak loosely around her neck and proceeded out the door.

Right as Sakura emerged into the hallway, she saw Konan staring right at her while Sakura narrowed her eyes towards her. No words were exchanged as Sakura turned around on the ball of her feet and sprinted down the hallways. Konan saw the flash of determination in Sakura's eyes and she began to sprint in the opposite direction.

Sakura wasn't dense, she knew that after her confession about escaping Konan would be more suspicious than ever, and it surprised Sakura that Pein didn't suck all her power minutes after Konan's arrival in Sakura's room. Sakura shook her head and ran full speed towards the Demon's room.

Konan knew Sakura was fulfilling whatever it was that she was talking about earlier, not letting her slip away out from underneath them, Konan teleported herself to Pein's office. Deep down in her gut she knew she was supposed to address Pein about Sakura's statement earlier, but even though Sakura was an enemy she was also a friend. No matter what part of the world they were from, all their conversations will be taken to the grave.

Pein stood in his office examining each member before him. Tonight was the night they were going to extract Sakura's chakra. "We will tranquilize her and then we will begin the extraction…" Pein said as his eyes scanned the remaining members. "Any quest…" Pein was cut off for Konan poofed in the room panting in short breaths.

"Konan, what's…" Pein was cut off again for Konan stared down at him with alarm present in her eyes.

"Sakura's escaped." Konan said as she watched Pein's face grew pale.

"She was in there when I gave her food a few hours ago." Kisame said, trying to defend himself.

"And Tobi drained her chakra this time so the Tamer has no Chakra." Tobi said proudly.

Pein shook his head and stared at Konan with hard eyes. "Where did she go?" He demandingly asked Konan.

Konan shrugged her shoulders. "She took off running down the hallway."

Pein moved along the shadows and opened his doors. "Well don't just stand there! We have to follow her!" Pein shouted as the whole Akatsuki ran out of his office at full speed.

Sakura was getting close to the room but her excitement was short lived when she heard Tobi's voice scream: "Tobi found her!"

"Shit" Sakura swore under her breath and picked up her pace. She knew that they were catching up to her and if she looked back it would be all over for her. Trying to resist the temptation, Sakura ran down the empty hallway and launched herself into the room. Sakura turned around immediately and locked the door behind her.

Pein watched with narrowing eyes as she ran right into the Jinchuriki's room. He picked up his pace and soon the whole group was standing outside the room. _'This could be easier than I thought.' _He said as his eyes drifted towards Konan. "Open the door." He ordered as Konan slowly made her way towards the door.

Inside the room, Sakura stood in the middle of the room, panting. Her breath was short and she was bent over, her hands resting on her knees for support. She looked around acting like she could see the Demons that she knew were all around her.

"Ok we better do this quick. They are right outside that door!" Sakura shouted urgently while trying to catch her breath.

The Demons circled around Sakura's body and each stood in their own spot on the painted circle underneath them. Shukaku looked at all his brothers and sisters and nodded his head. His attention then turned towards Tae and she nodded her head in understanding.

'_**Don't worry Sakura, we will get you out of here.' **_Tae thought as she dragged her claws down her arm, causing red liquid to pour slowly from the open wound.

Sakura stood in the middle of the room waiting for anything to happen, but her attention was drawn to the handle twisting around in place. A swear came crawling up her throat and Sakura couldn't help but pray to the Gods for some luck to fly her way.

While Tae was reciting the ancient chants and seals, the others focused their attention to the door that would soon burst open. **"Ready everyone?" **Shukaku asked as he felt some of his chakra slowly leave his body.

Everyone nodded their heads as their charkas left them as well. Soon seven balls of red chakra was flying above Sakura and with a swift cut of Tae's claws, on the painted circle, the balls of chakra spun around in an uncontrollable manner.

From the outside of the room, the Akatsuki were staring down at Konan and watched her try to open the door. When Konan felt Pein's patience grow thin she took a deep breath and placed her hand to the keyhole in the door. Her hand turned into a paper made key and she opened the door. _'I hope you did what ever you had to do Sakura.' _Konan thought as she pressed the door open only to gasp at the sight before her.

Pein pushed Konan out of the way and the room was filled with every Akatsuki member in it. Konan watched as massive amounts of chakra flew around Sakura and her blue eyes fell to the pendant that was glowing brightly. Her attention turned towards Pein, who was deactivating the Genjutsu and trying to separate Sakura from the contained demons.

Pein felt a deep growl at the bottom of his throat. The plan was not suppose to happen like this! He was supposed to put her to sleep and slowly take out her chakra. What was going on right in front of him at this very moment?! His calculated eyes watched as the whirlwind of Chakra became more violent than ever before. He felt his gut start to twist and turn, as his eyes traveled to the metal container on the side of Sakura he felt his eyes widen. _'The little Demon Tamer thinks she can escape me?!' _Pein thought angrily as he clasped his hands together and preformed a complicated jutsu.

The Akatsuki watched as a substantial amount of chakra exited Pein and flew towards Sakura's whirlwind of chakra. To Pein's dismay, however, a red barrier came in-between his chakra and Sakura. The chakra surge was so powerful that it bounced off the barrier and crashed into the wall behind Sakura. Pein felt an even more impatient growl escape his lips as his fists, stealthily, formed into fists.

While everyone was watching the whirlwind of chakra wash over Sakura, Itachi felt something inside him snap. His brain flushed flashbacks upon him, where he was in the hospital watching Sakura's unconscious body start to glow brightly. He felt his fists clenching in the bottom of his pockets. Through the whole whirlwind of emotions, Itachi never took his eyes off of what was happening in front of him. Before his partners could do anything about the predicament before them, she was gone, the whirlwind of chakra subsided and there was no Sakura to be found. Itachi felt little emotion reach the surface, while on the inside he was burning up with anger. _'I will not lose you again Sakura…' _Itachi thought as he turned around and walked out of the room.

Konan was right beside the Uchiha as she witnessed his change in mood, even if it was very slight, she felt a knowing nod come from her. She finally realized how Sakura was easy to draw her assumption about Pein and herself. _'It's because…' _Konan's head turned towards the Uchiha who was slowly making his way out the door. _'Sakura has been where I am, or she is in the same place I am.' _Konan extended her hand out and grabbed the Uchiha's cloak as it swayed behind him.

Itachi shot his cold Sharingan activated eyes towards the person who dared to stop him. He stared emotionlessly towards Konan only to have her nod her head towards him. "Go get her Itachi." Konan said with an invisible smile towards him.

Itachi didn't respond to Konan's statement, but he waited until she let her grip slip away from his cloak before he walked with great meaning in his fluid steps. Her attention turned towards Pein only to see him stare intently at the place where Sakura once stood. As she waited to for him to speak the room grew very quiet, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Pein turned around and his face was still as stone.

"She escaped." He said obviously as his face searched his crew for anything. His eyes narrowed once he realized that the Uchiha wasn't with them. He turned towards Konan and narrowed his eyes towards her. "Where did the Uchiha go?" He demandingly asked.

Konan looked straight at Pein and lowered her head to the ground. "He left." Was all she said as she heard a very low distress sound come from her boss. She watched him as he re-set the Genjutsu and they all walked out of the room. "Let's find the Demon Tamer before someone else does." Pein stated as they all poofed out of the base and made their way into the forest. _'She couldn't have gotten very far, whatever those Jinchuriki's did it won't help her.' _Pein thought as his crew followed him deep into the forest.

Itachi ran through the forest at lightning speed. His eyes searched every shadow and everything underneath that shadow, looking for Sakura. He was determined to find her this time and unlike all those years ago he knew where she would be going. At the moment he didn't care about what would happen if people found out about them, because for the moment all that he cared about was Sakura and her safety.

It pained him to hear Pein's evil plan that went in unwanted detail for the Uchiha, he already was planning to release Sakura before Pein had a chance to touch her, he did tell her that eh would never let Pein get near her and he would do everything he could, even die, to save her from the master of evil. He knew that his thoughts were poison but it didn't matter. _'What matters now is for Sakura to escape Pein and if that means I have to reveal our secret….so be it.' _

When the light encased Sakura in a whirlwind, Sakura felt her world spinning. As the different colored chakra spun around her she felt the presence of the Demons around her. She felt a small smile of gratefulness shine on her face and she closed her eyes, allowing the demons to do their job. _'Thank you all for your help and don't worry…I will break you out of there if it is the last thing I do.' _Sakura thought as she felt the world slip away from her, she watched as the tornado of chakra made her float away from the dreadful Akatsuki base.

It wasn't long before Sakura felt the charkas slowly disappear. Sakura watched as the colors blended together, making a rainbow like look, and was mesmerized by the way they evaporated into the air. After Sakura brought herself out of the daze the chakra placed on her, she looked around only to see herself up against a tree. _'Where am I?' _Sakura thought to herself as she placed her hand on the tree trunk and lifted herself off the ground.

Her eyes followed the sway of the leaves from the gentle breeze that rolled across the ground level of the forest, but she caught noticed something unusual behind a few trees. Taking a deep breath Sakura jumped up, grabbing the tree branch, and lifted herself up on the branch. After Sakura's whole boy was balanced on the tree, she lifted her body up and placed her feet on the surface of the branch. _'I better go check it out.' _She thought to herself as she cautiously continued to jump from branch to branch.

Up ahead, Kakashi and Naruto were resting up against a couple of trees in the clearing of the forest. Kakashi was reading his Paradise Island book while Naruto was growling at Kakashi. "Kakashi! We need to keep looking for Sakura!" Naruto yelled as his impatience grew thin.

Naruto remembered when Kyuubi told him where Sakura was, he never did question how the Demon figured out where his dearest friend was, and he immediately went to Tsunade to tell her the news that he heard. At first Tsunade was a little reluctant to trust the Demon inside Naruto, but Naruto wouldn't allow her to brush off his new found discovery. He nearly fell out of his seat when she told him he wasn't allowed to go look for Sakura.

Naruto looked over to the calm Kakashi as he flipped the pages in his perverted book. Kakashi felt Naruto's glaze but paid no attention to him. Kakashi remembered that day when Tsunade instructed that he should keep an eye on the Jinchuriki container. Kakashi heard about the discovery of Sakura's whereabouts and he knew that Tsunade wouldn't send him to join the search party. _'It probably killed him deep down inside.' _Kakashi thought knowing full well that Sakura and Naruto held a deep relationship.

Kakashi chuckled at his next thought, for right after Tsunade warned him about Naruto, he saw a yellow flash run through the Konoha gates out towards the forest. It took him a few hours to finally catch up to the enraged, yet determined, young man and the two decided to look for Sakura together. And here they were now, gathering their strength before making their way.

"Kakashi! Let's go already! Who knows what they are doing to Sakura!" Naruto yelled as he got up from his spot and walked in front of Kakashi.

Kakashi felt the moon's light being blocked and he glanced up to Naruto. "We need to gather some of our strength Naruto, if we find Sakura but have no energy then we will…" Kakashi was cut off from a rustle in the leaves.

The two dangerous ninja tensed up and Kakashi rose to his feet, his book was replaced with a kunai, as they watched the leaves continue to rustle. "Be on guard Naruto." Kakashi whispered causing Naruto to nod and brace himself for an attack.

It had been a while since Sakura has been out and running around on tree branches, the Akatsuki base never really allowed her to venture outside. As she was running through the trees, on branch was covered in wet dark green moss, causing Sakura to loose her balance and fall into another branch filled with leaves. "Damn trees." Sakura stated angrily as she lifted herself out of the trees clutches, only to have the branch snap from the unwanted stress.

Naruto narrowed his blue eyes as he heard the branch snap underneath whatever it was holding. He watched as a shadow moved from the branch and came falling down from the tall tree, but he ran as fast as he could to catch the body falling from the sky, for after he saw a flash of pink he knew it was Sakura.

"Sakura-Chan!" Naruto said happily as he caught Sakura in his arms and slide across the dirt.

Sakura slowly lifted her eyes towards the voice above her she couldn't help but feel tears stream down her eyes. "N-Naruto!" Sakura shouted happily as she turned her body around and hugged the daylights out of him.

Kakashi watched from behind with a happy eye-crease. "It's great to see you alive Sakura." He said.

Sakura released her hug from Naruto and ran towards Kakashi, dragging him into a bear hug that Naruto just came from. "It's great to see you too Kakashi!" She said with the same happiness.

Naruto jumped up from his knees and walked over to Kakashi and Sakura. He smiled brightly, allowing his canine teeth to show. "Where did you come from Sakura-Chan?" He asked as Sakura released Kakashi and turned her attention to the both of them.

"I don't know Naruto but all I know…" Sakura was cut off mid-sentence when she saw Kakashi move in front of her while Naruto stood beside her.

Sakura turned around to see what they were shielding her away from, only to have her breath be caught in her throat. _'I-Itachi? How did he?' _Sakura shook her head and blinked a few times, hoping that she wasn't dreaming, and to her surprise she wasn't.

Naruto growled and narrowed his eyes towards the Uchiha. "What do you want?" He growled dangerously.

Itachi said nothing as he continued to stare at Sakura with unemotional eyes, to the naked eye. Kakashi, however, stepped in-between them cutting off Itachi's vision of Sakura. Sakura turned her attention to her teammate and ex-Sensei, she felt something deep in her gut telling her to run, but she couldn't. This could be the only time she could maybe bring Itachi away from the darkness and more towards the light, she had to try right?

As Sakura stepped away from Kakashi and Naruto, the three men, watched her movements with intense and calculating eyes. "Sakura-Chan get back over here." Naruto said with a snarl, he just got her back and he wasn't going to lose her now.

Sakura smiled towards her teammates and then towards Itachi, before Sakura could take a step closer a voice was heard from behind Itachi: "We found you little one." Said a familiar voice.

Kakashi felt the significant amount of chakra and grabbed Sakura by her cloak and pulled her back behind him. Sakura allowed a squeak of surprise to escape her lips and she was thrown back behind the safety of her team.

The reunited Team Seven watched as Pein and his crew came emerging from behind the forest. Kakashi's guard became that much more tense and Naruto felt his anger rise in his gut. These were the goons that took Sakura away, they could of hurt her, and for that they would pay.

Pein was covered by the shadows of the night and stared down at the three Konoha ninja's before his crew. A sinister smile crossed his face, causing Konan to tense up. Her head turned towards Sakura, who was trapped behind her dedicated teammates. Konan smiled to herself. _'I'm glad that you got out Sakura, but now…' _Konan thought as she looked around at all her teammates. _'…it looks like this is where it will come to an end.' _Konan said sadly.

"Hand over the Jinchuriki and the Tamer and we will let you go Kakashi." Pein ordered.

Kakashi crouched even lower towards the ground and shook his head. "No. I will save my students even if that means ending my own life." Kakashi said proudly.

Pein snickered towards the dedicated ninja. "If that is your wish…" Pein said as the tension in the air rose.

Sakura looked between them all and couldn't help but feel responsible for this whole mess. If only she didn't let her guard down in her own home, she wouldn't have been captured by the Akatsuki, she wouldn't have to have her precious people fighting against each other, but what was she suppose to do? Sakura watched in horror at the bloody battle that could ensue in this very forest. She had to think of a way to end this fight before anyone got hurt….but how?

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TO

BE

CONTINUED

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_**Authors Note: **_Ok readers I hope you all enjoyed that intense chapter, I really am sorry it took me longer to post it than I thought, actually three days longer to be exact, but this chapter is the turning point in the story so I had to make it perfect for you all! 24 pages was the length of this chapter and I am happy to state that this is the longest chapter I have ever written! Please, I apologize if anyone is OOC and everything that comes with it. Criticism is welcomed; I like to make my story better and better for everyone of you!

REVIEW PLEASE!!!!! :)


	27. Chapter 27

**_Author's Notes:_** The reason why I took a long time to post a new chapter, was because i wanted to give you all a xmas present. I've never been able to give a chapter out a christmas present, so this is very special to me! :) Yes i know a little strange, but hey, that's just me! So this chapter is your Christmas present everyone! :) I hope you all enjoy the chapter. Thank you all for your support and dedication to this story! :) Enjoy! :)

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Sakura's face rose up towards the dark sky hoping that the night sky would provide any answer to her predicament. She shook her head from side-to-side and her attention returned back to the conflict before her.

The moonlight shined down on the two teams, both from different sides of the world. One believed in the greater good, where the evil side would see justice. Then, there was the other side, where different beliefs were applied on life itself. There was no happy ending for them, all they had was the satisfaction of causing harm to anyone they wanted. In a way, it was like their type of freedom, where they could do whatever they wanted without a higher power to tell them what was right and what was wrong.

Before her thoughts to expand on this new subject, the tension began to rise substantially. She was running out of time before blood would dye the forest red.

"This is the end." Pein stated in a low tone as the grass under his feet began to crinkle.

Every ninja there, except Sakura, crouched down anticipating the first strike. Sakura watched in horror waiting for the battle to start, as her heart began to accelerate she felt a rain drop fall on her nose. _'What..?' _Sakura held out her hand as she watched the rain drop fall into her palm. Her head shot up to the night sky watching the sky transform from an innocent, beautiful sky, to a dangerous one. The clouds became charcoal black and strikes of white began to strike the sky.

Thunder was heard from above as Kakashi reached into his holster and pulled the kunai closer to his body. Sakura's eyes went wide as Naruto and Kakashi charged towards the Akatsuki. Emerald eyes followed Naruto and Kakashi as they took on Deidara and Kisame. She shook her head as gruesome images floated around her mind. Nothing good could come from fighting, with was rather ironic since she was a ninja after all. Tears gathered in the corner of her eyes, as her vision blurred, and she painfully watched Naruto and Kakashi fight with determination.

'_No! No! No! This can't happen! Not like this! I have to stop it!' _She shouted to herself as she grabbed the dirt and lifted herself to her feet.

Pein saw her moving out of the corner of his eye and he couldn't help be but curious as to what was going on in that brain of hers. She was planning something and he couldn't wait to see what she was going to do.

The battle continued as Kisame swung his big swords towards Kakashi, only to have him flip backwards trying to avoid the chakra sucking sword. Naruto had his hands full with dodging the exploding clay. Naruto and Kakashi were back to back and breathing heavy, they were battling the two Akatsuki members of course it would be a hard match.

Eyes watched as Kakashi and Naruto, simultaneously, summoned chakra to circuit through their veins. Soon Kisame and Deidara were surrounded by thousand of Naruto's while the lightning began to strike the ground around the Akatsuki members.

The battle began to grow intense as each person attacked each other with killing intent. Blood was splattered against the green grass and sweat mixed in with their opened wounds.

Sakura couldn't take much more of the battle. Her eyes followed the blood that flew through the air, at this rate she would lose them before she could even think of a plan! Her fists clenched as she felt a spark fly through her, she looked down at her fists to see them glowing blue. _'C-Chakra?!' _Sakura thought shockingly. _'When did I…' _Her mind traveled back to when she was surrounded by the demon's chakra. They must of restored her reserves before placing her back into the wilderness.

Her eyes narrowed towards the battle, now she could do something about the mass she created. _'No matter what, I will end this fight once and for all!' _Sakura thought to herself as she waited for an opening in the battle to interfere.

Kakashi and Naruto were painting as Deidara and Kisame's poster reduced to a slouch, mixed in with quiet heavy breathing. Even though they were tired and injured, they grabbed their chose of a weapon and charged towards one another. _'Now's my chance!' _Sakura thought as she sprinted towards them.

It happened in slow motion, Sakura ran in-between the heart of the fight. They tried to back their attacks off, but their momentum was too great. Kakashi and Naruto watched in horror as they attacked one of their own. Kisame and Deidara tried to lessen the damage towards the girl, but knew their efforts would be in vain.

Konan felt her breath being caught in her throat as she watched Sakura run into the battle. She wanted to scold her, beat sense into her, but knew she wouldn't be able to touch Sakura.

Everyone tensed up as the dust around the attack began to clear. Kisame, Kakashi, Naruto, and Deidara backed away from Sakura and stood there dumbfounded. In front of them was a chakra wall on both sides of Sakura. A smile of satisfaction passed across her face as she felt the shocked stares on her.

Pein narrowed his eyes towards the girl full of surprises. When did she get chakra all of a sudden? It immediately clicked in as he remembered the whirlwind of chakra that was around her before.

The pink haired woman turned towards the crowd of people and her smile slowly whipped away from her face. "Why do we have to fight?!" Sakura yelled at them all. She never felt the need to stop fighting stronger than this. She figured it was because she held feeling for people on both sides of the battle field.

Pein chuckled at her statement. "You live in a violent world little one." He said as his mood changed to serious. "Finish them." He ordered, getting sick and tired of waiting around.

Sakura stood in-between her teammates and the Akatsuki. "You will not hurt them anymore." She said with a stern look. "Why do you have to destroy everything?" She asked to Pein, staring him down, striping his character with her piercing eyes. "Is it so you are feared? Or because you want revenge?" Sakura asked, not hoping for an answer.

Itachi watched his leader carefully as he creped through the shadows and came closer to Sakura. He narrowed his eyes towards Pein, muscles tensed; he was waiting to jump in-between the two of them. Kakashi and Naruto also watched the shadows move around the night, as water poured down on them, their cloths sticking to them.

"Why question me little one? You know this is the end for you." Pein said as he stopped a few feet away from Sakura. "I should extract your power myself." He said with a sinister grin as his hand went inside his cloak.

The wind picked up speed around Sakura and before anyone could process what was happening Itachi poofed right in front of her, holding out a chakra filled hand, towards his own leader.

Pein narrowed his eyes towards one of his strongest recruits. "Itachi, what are you doing?" He demanded while putting, whatever was in his hand, back into the cloak pocket.

Itachi did not answer at first. Sharingan eyes shined brightly through the darkened sky as a bolt of lightning struck the sky, causing the scene behind Itachi to light up significantly. His eyes carefully studied the man before him. "You know what I am doing." He simply said as his eyes drifted to Konan and then back to his leader. "You would do the same thing." He continued as he swiftly glanced back at Sakura.

Everyone's eyes widened at the confrontation before them. No matter what part of the world they came from, they all knew the sonic Uchiha only spoke when necessary, and never stepped out of his boundaries when addressing an elder. "Uchiha, move." Pein ordered his patience wearing thin.

Itachi stood perfectly still, revealing nothing. "No." He said with a straight face.

Pein stood there dumbfounded at the Uchiha's blunt answer, but that soon was washed away once he placed all the pieces to the puzzle together. Soon a malevolence smirk crossed his face. "Oh I see…" He said as he walked around the two and eyed them up and down. Itachi stood perfectly still, eyes Pein's every move, gathering information by the way he carried himself. "So you have a little crush on the Tamer." He said, his smirk never fading. "But…" His eyes traveled to the pink-haired woman. "…she doesn't like scum like us." Pein added, trying to get under the Uchiha's skin. "Why protect someone that will kill you in the end? Kill or be killed Itachi." He smartly stated.

Sakura grew angry with the babbling Akatsuki member and growled towards him. "You know nothing Pein." She said with a smirk, his face dropped slightly as she called him by his real name. Her eyes turned towards Konan and smiled lightly. "You would be the same way if you allowed yourself to feel anything." She stated.

Pein looked back towards Konan, he knew he harvested feelings for Konan but his world would not accept that. He would keep her save and that meant to never reveal his intensions to anyone, not even her. He turned his head back towards the treacherous member and Demon Tamer. "Fine. I'll kill both of you then." He said with no remorse.

"No you will not." Konan shouted, as she too stood next to Itachi and narrowed regretful eyes towards Pein. "Pein…" she started to say, as she watched his eyes flash with hurt for a couple of milliseconds. "…this woman should be left alone. We don't need it to become what we want to be." Konan said.

Pein stood there, cold as stone, what was going on? What did this Demon Tamer do to his team?! She hypnotized Konan, and for that she was going to pay, far more worse than he originally anticipated.

"Konan, she has hypnotized you." He said as he grabbed her arm and pulled her aside. His murderous eyes shot towards Sakura, but Itachi blocked his view, of course that didn't stop his glare. "This will be the end of you." He said towards the four people in front of him.

Kakashi and Naruto walked beside Sakura, adrenaline pumping through their veins. "Bring it on!" Naruto yelled as he grabbed his two kunai from the ground and pushed his sore body back into place. Kakashi stared towards Sakura and allowed his glaze drift towards the Uchiha. _'Can we trust him?' _Kakashi thought, watching him as he stood perfectly still. His glaze drifted towards Sakura and watched as she eyed the Uchiha with shock and then pride. _'He betrayed his own organization to help Sakura; I guess his feelings for Sakura was never erased.' _He thought with an all knowing smirk.

He remembered the day when he first met Sakura, she healed him and then punched him back into a tree, and even to this day he never understood why she would punch him out after healing him. But after seeing certain personality traits of Tsunade in Sakura, he assumed she had an influence on her. His eyes trailed towards Itachi, a small smirk plastered his masked face. He remembered the young protégé mopping about when Sakura was in the hospital, and now, they have come together.

"Your funeral." Pein said as he ordered Kisame and Deidara to clear the field and join Tobi on the sidelines. Konan couldn't stand by and watch Pein torture Sakura, now matter how much she held feelings for him.

Sakura watched Konan back away from Pein and walk back towards her side. Pein's nose flared in anger at Konan's actions. Pein watched as blue eyes filled with sadness looked up at him. "Pein…this was never suppose to get this far." She started to say. "We were recruited to start an organization that would allow stray ninjas, or neglected ones, to find a place to belong to." She continued, reminiscing past events with Pein, but her eyes grew hard at him. "But you became drunk for power Pein. I stood by you all these years hoping the old Pein would come back…" her eyes traveled to the ground, no longer having the will to look at him. "…I can't sit back anymore and watch you to continue to destroy yourself." She finished.

A boom of thunder crashed over the sky, causing the ground to shake, as Konan finished her hurtful words. Pein stared at her with unreadable eyes and the silence was broken by his evil cackle that roared through the sky. "Are you kidding me?!" He shouted as he smirked like a mad man. "This was the best thing that has happen Konan! We can teach the ninja's like them that they can't rule us! With our project we can rule the world!" He shouted as he reached in his coat and pulled out a long ax. "No matter…you will see my ways as soon as I kill them." He stated as he glared towards everyone beside her.

Pein's power began to fill the atmosphere and it became unbearable. "Get ready." Itachi said as everyone's guard was on high alert. "There is no limit to what he is willing to do." Konan said softly as she began brace herself for the fight of her life. Naruto nodded towards the additional members, and felt more determined than ever before. Kakashi smirked and braced himself; this battle would go down in history.

Sakura watched as everything happened in a flash. She couldn't follow anyone's movements, for they were inhumanly fast. She could make out certain colors but other than that everything was a blur. All you could hear was metal clashing and grunts groaning. Kakashi used the weather as an aide to slow down Pein, while Naruto would launch any jutsu he could, hoping to get a decent hit on him. Itachi was using his genjutsu's to confuse him while Konan would use her animal origami to inflict damage on him.

Pein didn't seem fazed he took on all four of them without batting an eyelash, it pained him to attack Konan, but she needed to learn her place and figure out what side she was on. However, he didn't hold back on the other three, he used all his tricks and mind games trying to throw them off track and destroy them.

The sky glowed as the thunder and lightning crashed once again in the heat of the battle. Sakura felt the world crashing down on her. Although she couldn't see every detail of the bloody match, her medical trained eyes watched every drop of blood pour out of the battle and every motion. _'If they don't stop now…' _Her vision became blurry as crystal tears fell from her eyes. She knew that their inhuman speed would destroy their tissue, nerves, and muscle layers before any poison or paralysis jutsu could. Then if she added in the powerful jutsu's… _'They will die.' _She thought as the tears flooded out of her eyes.

Her body sunk down to the ground and landed on her knees. She looked down at the ground and threw her fists down on it. _'No! No! No! This is what I have been trying to prevent! They don't need to kill themselves for me! Why can't there be peace for once?!' _Sakura thought with angered thoughts as she allowed chakra to flow to her hands and she banged against the floor, causing the earth to crack all around her.

'_There has to be something I can do! Send them to a peaceful state or something!' _She yelled at herself, knowing full well that there was nothing she could do, but her glowing hands grabbed the medallion around her neck and she yanked it off her neck.

The strap broke against the force of the tug and Sakura watched her chakra crawl towards the medallion's stones. Tears went sliding down her cheeks and landed on the ancient jewelry before her. Her face turned towards the God's above and her grip on the medallion increased, causing the metal to slice through her skin. Blood mixed in with chakra, as she continued to watch the battle.

Naruto and Kakashi were kneeing on the ground panting, while Konan and Itachi stood up right, breathing heavy as well. Pein was standing there like a mad man cackling at their "poor battling skills". By this time Pein had unleashed his other sides, making their job that much harder.

'_Please! Please! Just let them be at peace!' _She yelled as she thrusted her hands into the earth once again.

'_**So you wish it…so it shall be.' **_Anri's voice popped in her head.

Sakura's eyes went flying open as she looked down at the medallion in her hands. Her chakra was swimming around it and her blood seeped into the ancient letters. _'What that…?' _Sakura thought to herself as her charka expanded all around her, and soon, around everyone.

The battle seized as Sakura's chakra fanned out around the whole forest. Pein stared at the magnitude of the charka and turned towards the Demon Tamer, only to see her crouched down on the ground. Konan looked around in amazement; this was the extent of Sakura's power? There was no telling what Sakura could do. Itachi felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up; he looked towards Sakura and prayed to God she knew what she was doing. Naruto, however, were flabbergasted and wanted to run towards her, but Kakashi stopped him. "No Naruto let Sakura do her thing." He said.

The chakra expanded all over the forest and traveled towards the Akatsuki base. The servants inside felt the power linger towards them and watched as it slipped through the cracks of the base. None of them moved, not daring to challenge the intruding chakra. Sakura felt her chakra start to turn into an unknown force. _'Is this what it feels like?' _She thought to herself as she concentrated on guiding it towards the Demon's room.

Inside the Demon's room, they all were sitting down in a circle, wondering how Sakura was doing. **"Do you think she made it ok"** Emi asked worriedly.

Nobu placed a comforting arm over his sister's shoulder and nodded his head. **"Don't worry Emi, Sakura is probably fine."**

Tae wasn't paying attention to her brothers and sisters, for she felt a strong, yet familiar, chakra coming their way. **"Hey guys…don't you feel that?" **She asked.

Shukaku jumped to his feet as he too felt the chakra coming towards them. **"What do you think it is?"**

"**We'll soon find out." **Jin said as he pointed to the floor of the metal container.

"**What is it?" **Raku asked as he looked down at the specimen.

"**Don't touch it Ra…" **Riki was cut off, for once Raku touched the chakra, and he was gone.

They all jumped up to their feet and soon the chakra was swimming around their feet. No one dared to move and they just watched as the chakra slithered up each body.

Tae's eyes went wide as it covered her face and before she knew it, she was in a strange place. She saw Raku standing near her and soon all her family members were coming in one by one. She felt a light breeze blow through her cloths and she narrowed her eyes.

All the Demons looked around, admiring the gorgeous scenery before them. There were giant oak trees swaying in all their glory, the sky was a beautiful tint of orange and blue, the place was too remarkable for words.

"**Where are we?" **Nobu asked.

Shukaku and Tae shrugged their shoulders. **"I have no idea." **Tae answered honestly.

"**How can you not know where we are Tae-San? You were the only one that actually saw picture of the peaceful land." **Anri's voice projected over the world as she became visible to them all.

Shukaku's mouth twitched when he controlled his jaw not to drop to the floor. **"You mean…"**

"**Yes Shukaku-San, Sakura freed us all." **Anri said with a happy smile.

"**How?" **Emi asked.

"**After you all released Sakura from the Akatsuki's clutches, she met up with Kyuubi-San's container and his teacher. This is where a large battle resulted, trying to gain custody of Sakura and Kyuubi-San…"**

"**That doesn't explain anything Anri." **Shukaku stated.

Anri smiled at her older brother and walked over to the running river near them. **"Tae-San, run your hand over the water, you can control water after all."**

Tae walked towards the pristine water and waved her hand over it, just like her little sister said too. To their surprise they saw a projection of Sakura kneeling on the ground, crying, and saw the massive destruction. Trees were pulled out of their roots, blood was spattered everywhere, and the humans were covered in wounds.

"**Sakura wanted peace and her chakra gave her just that." **Anri said as she watched Sakura's chakra go towards the Kyuubi's container and start to extract him, painlessly.

Kakashi and Sakura watched as her chakra crawled over Naruto and covered his whole body. "Sakura-Chan, Kakashi, what is going on?!" He asked in a panic tone.

Sakura heard his cry, stopped her crying, and ran towards the blonde. She stopped short in front of him as his whole body glowed blue and before she knew it, he fainted to the floor. "Naruto!" She yelled as she dropped, once again, to the floor and felt for a pulse.

Anri turned her head towards the sky above them, causing her older siblings to do the same thing, and they watched as Kyuubi went flying down from the sky. He landed on his feet and looked around the place with confused eyes. **"Where am I?" **He mumbled to himself.

"**Welcome back Kyuubi." **Shukaku said with a smirk as he watched Kyuubi slowly turned around as his face dropped to the floor.

"**Where am I Shukaku?" **He demanded answer this time.

Shukaku walked up to him and patted him on the back. **"We are free Kyuubi, Sakura sent us here." **He answered, causing Kyuubi to stare disbelievingly at him. Kyuubi was dragged by Shukaku to go look at the water reflecting what was happening down on earth.

Pein's eyes widened at the sight before him. The Demon Tamer did her job, and right before him too! He didn't stop it or anything, how foolish he was! He growled towards the petite female and raised a pointed dagger towards her. "You took them away!" He yelled at her, causing Itachi to pull her beside him.

Kakashi knelt down towards Naruto and watched as his eyes slowly blinked up at him. "Kakashi-Sensei….what happened?" He asked as Kakashi helped him to his feet.

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders and shook his head from side-to-side. "I have no idea Naruto." He said honestly. "How do you feel?" He asked.

Naruto looked himself over and felt something different about himself, but he couldn't place his finger on it. "I feel….good." He said, as if the feeling was foreign to him.

"Hate to break up your reunion, but…" Konan said as she pointed towards the hysterical Pein. "Pein…calm down." She said as she walked up to him and tried to calm him down.

Pein glared at her and grabbed her hand before it made contact with him. "Don't you see Konan?" He said as he glared at Sakura. "She killed our plan; her chakra extracted that Jinchuriki from that blonde." He said, causing Konan to gasp.

Sakura looked down at the medallion and watched as all the colored stones began to crack. "What is going on?" She said out loud, causing everyone to turn towards her. She outstretched her hand and watched as the medal began to crack into millions of pieces, the strong stormy wind, pushed the pieces away like sand. She followed the pieces as the wind carried it towards the sky. _'Did I…did I free them?' _She asked, as she looked down at her ankle, only to see nothing there.

Her mouth dropped to the floor as she remembered what she thought and what Anri said before her chakra went stretching through the forest. She was hung up on making peace between the ninja's and then she allowed her chakra to pour into the medallion. Emerald eyes went wide as all the pieces finally were put together, she freed the Demons!

"Don't think that's the end of it." Pein said in a deadly voice as he got ready to attack them once again.

Sakura turned around only to see Pein flying towards her. She grabbed onto Itachi and shut her eyes closed this was the end of them. Kakashi and Naruto went into a defensive position and both carried a determined face, they knew it was the end and they would embrace their honorable death with opened arms. Itachi felt Sakura attach herself to him and snaked one arm around her waist, pushing her closer to him, his face was blank as he waited for the final blow from Pein. They all knew that Pein was still running on a full tank, and they were running on empty.

Normally, waiting for your death, wasn't a way how they all thought they would end their lives. Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura pictured their end either being at old age or in a battle doing down fighting. Itachi accepted his fate, knowing there was nothing they could do to escape this battle.

Konan stood with horror in her eyes as she watched Pein charge towards them. She wanted to break some sense into him, but he was so wrapped up in getting revenge that it ate him away. Years ago she would of never thought that her almighty Pein would be eaten away by personal desires, but the man in front of her….well….he was eaten away. She looked up at the lightning sky and felt a lone tear escape the corner of her eye. _'Please, help Pein. End this fight with no lives lost.' _She thought, knowing that her wish would be useless.

This was a world were lives were lost everyday; father would be fighting against his own family for his beliefs. Why would today be any different than the last?

* * *

TO

BE

CONTINUED

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**Author's Note:**Well everyone….that was a very intense chapter, not as long as before, but pretty much equal in intensity. :)

As you all could sense, the story is coming to an end, I don't know how many more chapter, but not many are left. I hope you all enjoyed it :) and please criticism is welcome, and REVIEWS ARE AN AWESOME CHRISTMAS PRESENT!!! :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!


	28. Chapter 28

_**Author's Notes: **_First off, I would like to apologize; it took longer than I thought to post a new chapter. I put a lot of thought into what I was going to do for an ending with this story, and well….we are at the end of our story here folks. :( I hope everyone had a happy new year and I hope this year will be better than the last! :) Enjoy the final chapter and thank you for all your kind words and support! :)

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Konan shook her head from side to side, causing her hair to whip her in the face, her blue eyes watched as Pein began to advance towards Sakura and Itachi. The whole event played in slow motion for Konan, never before, had she have important people in her life fight against each other. There was something she had to do to stop the endless fighting, her heart couldn't take the torture anymore, and she couldn't watch her precious people fight to the death!

Her eyes traveled back and forth between Sakura and Pein, she could tell Pein was never going to stop his attack. _'He is caught up with his goals that he doesn't know what the action he needs to take….and dare I say it….he doesn't know what the right decision is.' _She turned her attention back to Sakura only to see her holding onto Itachi. Her heart ached at the sight, her face turned from heartbreak to determination. _'If I can't have a happy ending…' _she thought, as she allowed her chakra to serge through her whole body, allowing her blood line to take over her body. _'…then I will give Sakura the happy ending she deserves. You have taught me so much with our time together Sakura, now it is time for me to repay you…' _

Sakura couldn't look away from Itachi's cloak, all she concentrated on was the imaginary spot on his cloak, she didn't want to see how her life ended. She wanted it to be quick and painless, but, an urge to look up at the world one last time came over her. As emerald eyes popped out from a pool of black, they were as wide as saucers… _'Konan!' _Sakura thought as she released her grip on Itachi and separated herself from him.

Itachi felt Sakura jerk away from his side as he watched the same event unfold before his very own eyes. Kakashi and Naruto stood as still as stone at the sight before them, they couldn't believe it even though they were seeing it!

Sakura felt tears summon themselves to her eyes, she felt them fill her eyes and caused her vision to blur, but the seriousness of the situation made her wipe the tears away feverishly, allowing her to watch the scene unfold.

Konan allowed her paper to surround her body, now was her chance to end this horrifying brawl. She extended her hand outward as she watched the paper surrounded her body and turn herself it into a human paper shell. Without a second thought, she ran as fast as lightning, into the heat of the battle, getting in-between Pein and Sakura. She stood perfectly still, extending her arms and legs out, to cover as much space as possible.

Pein summoned massive amounts of chakra to his hands as he continued to charge towards the group of pesky ninja. _'Now I will end my pest problem once and for all!' _He shouted to himself as a burst of chakra flowed through him. He eyed his "prize" like a hunter examined his prey, but felt his breath catch in his throat, right in front of him was Konan. "Get out of the way Konan!" Pein shouted to Konan, while he still continued to fly towards the group behind Konan.

Konan planted her feet to the ground, having no intention to move from her designated spot, she was determined to end the fighting once and for all. She shook her head from side-to-side, knowing full well that Pein saw her defiance, tears started to stream from her blue eyes as she awaited her chosen fate.

Pein narrowed his eyes towards Konan as he watched her plant her feet to the ground. Anger boiled inside him at her rebellious action, now was not the time to prove her point in the matter, he tried to think of several ways to dodge Konan but his attack was already in motion. There was no way he could cancel his attack or even misdirect the power to another direction.

Konan and Pein stared at each other as the attack came closer and closer. Konan smiled softly towards him while his eyes conveyed a state of untold panic. She didn't want to cause him anymore heartache than he had already been through, but he wouldn't listen to her. _'This is the only way to get through to him. Even if it means I have to end my life…'_

Pein felt his heart clench inside his chest as he approached Konan, he never wanted to harm the woman he held close to his heart, she was always there for him ever since they were told to start this organization. Now here he was charging at her with a murderous attack. _'Konan, you stupid woman, why won't you move?!' _He looked her straight in the eyes as the anticipated blow came. _'Forgive me…' _Was all he managed to say to himself as his powerful glowing self plunged into Konan's chest.

Everyone watched the scene unfold as Pein came rushing towards Konan and the two powers met. Pein's glowing body came in contact with Konan's defense shell. The detonation of power exploded into the night sky, it climbed to towards the dangerous clouds and dissolved into thin air. Two bodies went flying in opposite directions, Konan's body went crashing back towards Sakura's group while Pein was sent back towards his side of the battlefield.

Sakura watched the two bodies fly across the sky like rag dolls, her whole body flinched, when she heard them hit objects with unimaginable force. Crystal tears started to slide down her cheek as the after smoke faded away. "Konan!" Sakura shouted to the older woman, as she ran towards the fatally injured woman. Itachi, Kakashi, and Naruto watched Sakura run towards Konan, but returned their attention to Pein, if he tried attacking Sakura they would retaliate with full force.

Sakura ran towards the fallen Konan and fell to her knees. Her worried emerald eyes scanned over her body, and her tears began to fall faster. "Konan, how stupid are you? How could you do this to yourself?!" Sakura shouted as she allowed her emotions to take control.

Her hands flew all around Konan's body like wild fire, her healing chakra danced around Konan's body trying to patch up every torn tissue and muscle fiber in Konan's body. Sakura knew that Konan was a lost cause, but, that didn't stop her from pouring every bit of chakra she had into Konan's body. She felt her teammates and Itachi's stares on her, but she didn't care, a friend was a friend and because of her stubbornness Sakura was one that never gave up.

Deidara, Kisame, Tobi, and Hidan ran towards their fallen Leader who was lying on the ground. "Leader, you ok?" Kisame asked as they all circled around Pein.

They watched as Pein's eyes slowly opened, but it was not a pretty sight. His cloths looked like Swiss cheese and blood was pouring from his opened wounds. Pein slowly got up and looked himself over, but before his followers knew what happened, he poofed away. They looked back and forth between each other and heard a rustle in the treetops above. When they looked above, they saw another Pein jumping down from the branches.

"This isn't good." Itachi said emotionlessly as he examined the new Pein before them.

Kakashi stared wide-eyed towards the unmarked Pein. "We are in for a long night…" Was all he managed to say as his brain tried to rack up another plan. _'It must be one of those tricks Jiraiya told Tsunade-sama, in his letter, before he died….' _Kakashi thought to himself in horror, there was no telling what this Pin could do to them.

Naruto stared at the man with an evil eye. _'He doesn't even care that one of his own died by his hand…' _Naruto thought solemnly while he watched Sakura try to heal Konan with every technique known to a medic. His eyes became sad and then he turned towards Itachi. Who would have ever thought that his best friend would fall for an Akatsuki member and the older Uchiha for that matter? His straight face slowly turned into a small smile. _'He has defended her even when this Akatsuki leader threatened Sakura-Chan…' _He continued to stare at the Uchiha and when Itachi felt his stare Naruto quickly averted his eyes to Sakura, as if he wasn't looking at him at all. _'…it's more than Sasuke-Teme would ever do for Sakura-Chan…' _He thought once again with a growing smile. _'Maybe he isn't as bad as Sasuke-Teme says…'_

Pein turned his attention towards the green light around Konan, his anger was rising with every passing second. _'They killed her!' _He shouted to himself, not believing that Konan was died from his own hand. His hands turned to fists, the only display of angry emotion on Pein,. He glared towards the group of four in front of him, they would pay dearly for what they did to Konan. _'Time to finish what I started.' _He thought as he walked over towards Konan's fallen body.

Sakura was working franticly on Konan's body. The blood was rushing out of her wounds faster than before and Sakura was afraid she couldn't keep up with the blood flow. She would clot the blood flow, and right as she did that, another two wounds would burst open, waiting for her attention. "D-Don't worry K-Konan. I-I won't let y-you die.." Sakura told Konan at a whisper, exhaustion washing over Sakura's body.

By some miracle, Konan's hand closest to Sakura placed itself over Sakura's glowing hands. Sakura stopped her healing and followed Konan's hands to her face, Sakura felt her heat jump up in hope, maybe Konan would live after all.

Konan weakly smiled towards Sakura and shook her head from side-to-side. She watched Sakura's eyes drop with sadness and watched the famous flash of determination cross those emerald eyes. Sakura wasn't going to give up on her, for she continued to heal her broken body even faster than before. "S-Sakura…" Konan weakly said, trying to get the young woman's attention.

Sakura paid no attention to the barely audible Konan, she would save her! Konan raised both of her hands and rested them on top of Sakura's glowing green ones. "K-Konan…w-what a-are you…?" Sakura couldn't form a complete sentence, shock taking over her whole body. Konan shook her head, from side-to-side, to Sakura and her eyes wandered over to Pein. She watched as he walked towards them, but she returned her focus back to Sakura. "S-Sakura, it is u-useless." Konan spoke weakly. "P-Please…" Her vision turned towards the angered Pein, causing Sakura to look in that direction, color drained from Sakura's face and her blood ran cold. She felt Konan's hands tighten around hers, causing her attention to return to the woman below her.

"…D-don't let m-my e-efforts g-go to w-waste…" Konan continued, noticing that Pein stopped dead in his tracks once he heard her voice. She turned her head towards Pein and shot him a small smile. "Y-you will a-always be i-in my heart P-Pein…" Konan softly said as her head sank to the ground and her eye lids slowly closed.

Sakura's body froze in fear, her hand traveled to Konan's wrist, only to feel no pulse. There was no breathing pattern, nothing, that indicated to Sakura that Konan was still alive. Sakura's tears streamed down her face, and she was afraid to look up at Pein, she could only imagine his state of mind.

Pein stood still as stone as he watched the one woman that ever understood him, the one person that allowed him to be his true self, slip away into the blanket of darkness that would never bring her back. He looked towards Sakura and his anger erupted ten-fold. "How dare you." He stated soullessly as his eyes traveled back to Konan's lifeless form.

Sakura felt shivers travel down her spine as she slowly stood up, only, to come face-to-face with Pein. She could feel her teammates tense up when Pein took a step closer towards her. "You will pay for that." He said darkly, as he got ready to attack the stunned Sakura.

Up in the clouds above, the family of demons watched the tense battle from beginning to end; now they were anxious, as they watched Pein walk towards Sakura. Shukaku and Kyuubi exchanged looks between each other as they glared down at Pein. Nobu and Emi held their breath, hoping the worse wasn't about to come. Anri felt her heart skip beats, as she prayed to the higher power, that Sakura wouldn't be injured by Pein.

"**Hey Tae…"**Kyuubi called to Tae, while a plan formed in his head.

Tae, reluctantly, broke her glaze away from the glowing water, and stared at her younger brother with an agitated look. **"What Kyuubi?"** She said with a growl.

"**Can't we, somehow, interfere with the outside world?" **He asked as Anri gasped at his words.

"**Brilliant Kyuubi-San!" **Anri shouted delightedly as her attention on the battle was pulled away and now was on Tae. **"Tae-San, if we could interfere with the world below us, we could save Sakura…"**

"**..And even kill that man that restrained us in that dreaded container." **Riki interjected, trying to work in getting revenge on the man that caused him and his family so much grief.

Tae studied her family before her, and then looked down at the glowing water, only to see Pein waiting for the right time to strike. She thought back to all the stories she heard from their mother about this wonderful place, trying to see if there was any way they could connect their powers with the human world, but she couldn't think of anything. Her ice blue demon-like eyes scanned all around, not excepting defeat, there had to be something that could connect them to the human world. Finally she was staring right back at the glowing water, until her demon eyes light up like a Christmas tree. _**'That's it!' **_She thought to herself in delight.

Her brothers and sisters watched Tae turn around towards them with a twinkle in her eye. **"I know what we can do…" **She told them as she gathered each and every one of them to come in a circle. _**'We have one chance to get this done right.' **_She thought determinedly as she began to tell the plan to her siblings.

Sakura had to think of something fast, she needed to prolong Pein's course of action, but with the look of complete emptiness and betrayal, it didn't seem like she could do much to keep him from attacking her. "Listen to me.." Sakura said simply, as she watched his body for any indication of movement, when she saw his eyes glued to hers, she continued on. "Konan wouldn't want you to attack us…she would want you to continue your life without anger clouding your life." Sakura tried to say, knowing full well it was all empty words towards the man, and she was right. Pein stared at her with mocking eyes as he erupted into a fit of sarcastic laughs.

"Ha, ha, very funny Tamer, do you think I care what you say?" He said in a malicious tone. Sakura gulped and took a step back towards her teammates, while he continued on with his comments. "You're just prolonging your demise." He stated coldly as he began to summon chakra to his hands. "Now…it is your time to parish!" He shouted madly, all the anger, all the sadness, and all the emotions he locked up inside himself were showing their true colors as he charged towards Sakura.

Itachi, Kakashi, Naruto, Deidara, Hidan, Tobi, and Kisame watched Pein run madly at Sakura, some wanted to jump in the way, while others just watched the scene unfold, and no one knew what to do. Naruto didn't want to see his best friend die right before his eyes, and he looked up towards the crying sky. _'Don't let Sakura-Chan die!' _He pleaded towards the clouds as the thunder storm continued above him.

His blue eyes widened as he watched a hole in the sky open up, to unveil, a trail of red chakra flying down towards them at the speed of light. "What the…" He said to himself as he tried to follow the chakra's trail. Itachi and Kakashi heard Naruto's puzzled statement and turned around only to see a red stream of color flying right at them. "Run for it!" Naruto shouted, as he grabbed Kakashi and Itachi, and fled behind a tree ten feet away. Kisame, Deidara, Tobi, and Hidan saw the flash of light too and fled towards the rock that was further away from the battle.

Pein didn't worry about anything but the person in front of him; he would kill the woman that caused his precious person to die right in front of him! _'You must die Demon Tamer!' _He shouted as he extended his glowing blue hands and began to use al his momentum to land a hit on Sakura.

Sakura heard her teammates flee from behind her, but she was too preoccupied with Pein running at her with a murderous vibe around him. While Sakura watched the man come running at her, she felt a strong presence, over her head. She looked down at her feet to see that the ground was no longer green, but the color red, she looked up at the sky to see red chakra spiraling towards her. _'What is this?!' _She thought to herself in panic as the chakra went right in-between her and Pein.

Before anyone knew what happened, the red chakra came in between Pein and Sakura, dissolving Pein's attack into thin air. Pein stopped dead in his tracks as he watched his attack, once again, being blocked. That was the last straw for him, his eyes became wide with anger and he glared at the red obstruction in front of him. "You won't get rid of me that easily!" He shouted, full of rage, as he sprang back and came at the red barrier with full force.

Sakura watched, wide eyed, as the infuriated man, came running head first into the dangerous blob in front of her. The red blob felt Pein flying towards it, with unimaginable speed, and it started to retaliate. As Pein got close enough to the blob, a strike of red lightning flew towards Pein. The impact from the two attacks caused a bright light to erupt, making everyone cover their eyes, to avoid the blinding light.

Sakura peeked from behind her arm and saw Pein face down on the ground. Her attention then turned towards the red blob, but it was gone? _'Where did it go? Something that big can't vanish without leaving something behind....' _Sakura thought as she looked at the ground, only to see Pein's body, motionless. _'Did it…did it kill Pein?' _Sakura asked herself as she cautiously walked towards Pein's body. As she walked towards his body, the dark clouds began to recede back into the night's sky, and the moon shined brightly on the battlefield.

Sakura stopped her advancement and looked around at the beaten up area. Blood was splattered everywhere, giant craters were engraved in the ground and trees cluttered the floor of the forest. As her eyes scanned the rest of the forest, she saw a light shinning on the river behind her.

She turned around and narrowed her eyes towards the river, trying to get a better look at the water. As she strained her eyesight, she saw reflections of Tae, Kyuubi, Anri, Shukaku, Nobu, and Emi waving toward her. Sakura blinked a few times, trying to prove to herself that she wasn't hallucinating, but when she looked back at the river, they were gone. _'What was that…?' _She thought to herself as she continued to study the sparkling water under the moonlight.

"Sakura-Chan!" Naruto shouted towards Sakura, as him, Kakashi, and Itachi came running towards her.

Sakura turned away from the river and looked up at the three men. Naruto shot her a bright smile and smothered her with a bear hug. Kakashi smiled a small smile towards the hugging friends and he turned towards the sonic Itachi, who was watching Sakura silently.

Itachi watched silently as Naruto hugged Sakura, until she turned blue, once Sakura was released from Naruto's hold he turned his attention to the fallen Pein. He bent at the waist and examined Pein's fallen body closely, Sharingan eyes trailed all over Pein's body, looking for any signs of life. He returned to standing up straight and looked back towards Kakashi. "He's dead." Itachi said quietly.

On the other side of the forest, Kisame, Hidan. Tobi, and Deidara rose up from behind the rock only to stare at their fallen leader. "We better get out the fuck out of here." Hidan said urgently. Kisame nodded his head as they began to flee the scene. "What about Itachi?" Deidara asked. Hidan looked over his shoulder and shot the Uchiha a nasty glare. "Who give a flying fuck about the pretty ass, if he wants to fuck himself over, be my guest, let's just get the hell out of here before we get screwed over." He mumbled as they disappeared from the scene.

Kakashi saw movement out of the corner of his eye and watched as the remaining members of the Akatsuki left the scene. "What are we going to do about them?" Sakura asked as she and Naruto turned in the same direction as Kakashi and Itachi were facing.

Kakashi looked towards the runaway Akatsuki members and shook his head. "We will let them go for now…besides…" Kakashi stated as he looked towards Itachi. "…Itachi's coming with us…" Kakashi said steadily, as he glanced down at Sakura, waiting to see her reaction to his words.

At first Sakura couldn't believe her ears, she turned her head around sharply, as she blinked confusingly towards Kakashi. "Y-you mean…" Sakura stuttered as she tried to contain her shock from her ex-Sensei's statement. "…he can…." She tried to continue her sentence, but the excitement didn't allow her to continue.

Kakashi nodded his head towards the, now bouncing, young woman before him. "Yes Sakura, he is coming back with us." Kakashi said happily. Sakura was as happy as a clam, she jumped on Kakashi and gave him a big bear hug, not letting go until she squeezed the life out of him. She then turned towards Itachi and jumped on him, she held on him like a leach, and hugged him with every ounce of physical power she had.

"Let's get going before anything else comes our way." Kakashi said as the four of them jumped up into the trees and traveled towards Konoha.

Kakashi was in front while Sakura, Naruto, and Itachi were beside each other, Sakura in the middle of the two men, while they continued to run as far away as possible from the forest grounds. Naruto looked over towards the sonic Uchiha and eyed him over with a calculating glance. "I guess you're not too bad…" Naruto said as he watched Sakura stare at him with suspicion. "But if you ever hurt Sakura-Chan you'll have to deal with me!" Naruto shouted protectively as his threatening stare turned into an accepting smile. "I'm sure we can convince Baa-Chan to let him in, right Sakura-Chan?"

Sakura giggled lightly as she nodded her head towards Naruto. "Right Naruto." She said with another bright smile, happy that her best friend accepted Itachi, even after everything that has happened.

"Naruto get up here." Kakashi ordered, trying to give the couple a minute of alone time, when he heard Naruto groan out in agitation he couldn't help but smirk. _'Everything is slowly returning back to the way it was…except for a few things…' _Kakashi though with a smile as he glanced back, briefly, towards Itachi. _'…it will be like old times…well almost.' _Kakashi thought to himself as he patted the sulking Naruto on the back. "Come on Naruto, lets give them a few minutes alone." Kakashi instructed.

"But Kakashi-Sensei…!" Naruto whined as he crossed his arms over his chest while skipping over branches. He finally was able to spend some time with Sakura and now he had to wait in line for her, it wasn't fair, what happened to friends first?

Sakura turned her smiling face, from Naruto, up towards the man that was running beside her, she never felt this happy in a long time. Itachi felt her eyes on him and he turned his attention towards her. "Hey Itachi…" Sakura began to say, as she reached for his hand, hiding under the cloak arm sleeves, and gently squeezed it. His eyes roamed her face as she tried to find the right words for her next statement, he simply squeezed her hand back knowing that was the boast she needed to get on with what was on her mind.

She felt his overly large hand squeeze her petite sized one and she continued on with her statement. "What will happen with Sasuke? He is still going to look for you." Sakura said worriedly as her eyes trailed from his straight face to the branches, afraid to look him straight in the eye with her blunt question.

Itachi felt a small smirk move across his face, she was always too worried for her own good, he pushed his hand away from hers, and before Sakura knew what was happening, she was being thrown into the air. He saw the look of confusion cross her face and he caught her in his arms bridal style. His black eyes looked down on her as his head came closer towards her. "Don't worry about my little brother Sakura.." Itachi said as he planted a light kiss on her lips. "…he won't know what to do with himself when he comes for me." Itachi said as he smirked his way into another kiss.

"Hey are you two done with the smooch fest already?!" Naruto yelled, his patience dwindling down, causing Sakura to blush as bright as a tomato, and causing Itachi to glare lightly towards the annoying blonde.

"I'm not going to get use to that." Itachi murmured under his breath as he sped up, with Sakura still securely in his arms, as he caught up with Kakashi and Naruto.

Sakura giggled lightly at his statement and watched the scenery blur past her. She rested her head on Itachi's chest as she thought about all her adventures. _'Who would have ever thought an under-dog ninja like me would have ended up going back into the past, only to fall in love in the future?' _She thought, as she looked up towards the sky, where she knew her Demon friends would be watching her. _'And who would have guessed that I would be the one that saved the powerful Demons?' _Her interest then turned towards the three men that surrounded her. _'This is a new beginning for me… I lived my past, I'll live in the present, and I'll just have to wait to see what the future has in store for me…'_

* * *

The

End

* * *

_**Author's Note**_: I'm going to cry everyone! I can't believe that this story is over! :( I had so much fun writing this story and I would like to take this moment to thank everyone that reviewed, favorite-ed, alerted, and even acknowledged this story. I never had so much success with just one story, and all your encouragement really helped me! :) A special thanks to those who were regular reviewers, you have a special place in my heart! :)

Below is a list of everyone that acknowledged the story, they either reviewed to the story, added it to their favorites list, and/or added it to their story alerts:

YukiGakamo1

Michelle

SnowWitney1

Kthies

BOOM-chan

GuardianAngelWithBrokenWings

BloodyKunoichi

Tsubasa-Angel

Sakra-Chan

xxFreezexXxChillzx

Mai1012

JAIMIE

Emeh choo

Kashie

Freak-4-Gof

Phamalama

Reader ninja

Pandastacia

Fadeaway

Blossomheartxoxo

Butterfliesofpurgatory

Kinomi-chan

Cricket

Cleaeverlasting

Missladylaura

Crimson Shinuki

Aznkitty 180

Goatis

-"SeeUsMerryEatRadish'-

Drake Hellion

Sammyamber123

Kakurine IL

xXKaira-himeXx

BlackButterfly-RedRose

Aoi Hana9

Sasyd

NorthernLights25

Cherryredblossom

Sakura

Panicatthediscontime

HahynGirl

Faawayfromu

Because Love is WAY Over-rater

Sweetcherry99

Kim

Sakurachan623

The Dark Necromancer

Jackie-chan1230

TeenageCrisis

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Moonxidedreams

Black Karasu

ItaSaku29

minniemousemom

Nagoto

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Bloody Kuniochi

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Ben's Wife

Hevava

IMV-Runo Masaki

Schellin

xXseiren-HimeXx

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Tsuki50

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Kawwaii yahiru

CrystalHeart27

Burnfire93

All I Want For Xmas is Ikuto

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Mistra Rose

Shadow miko

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B-More'z finest

43InuAsha

xX-Jadalyn-Xx

Starlight – Wild Koneko

TrinityBloodFox

Minako

CryingBlackCherryTigerBlossoms

HellKat

Blood. Tears. Death

Lenaetv

Water-Sirene

Icantspeel

K

You_know_me

Sakura4eva

Iluvitasaku

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laravine

Passionate Crow Rat

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Golden Sakura Dragon

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Royal Rebellious Runo

I am with Vampires and Wolves

Kristin

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Ottawa

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Pink Blossom Princess

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Audrey Sinclair

Just-let-me-go

Tiramisu Blaze

Tora Hoshigaki

Bellacullen3

A bouquet of Black Roses

Gianna loves Sasusaku

Cherry-Blossom-Sakura08

Freezing sun

Zanna-chan

xxxDarkest-AingelXxX

Kayla

Justine

Neko Akurei

Anonymous

Cyunme

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XxCrimson DeathxX

Ginacat

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Sinistera of the Akatsuki

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Heartbroken Confession

Blueberry pie

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darkladyhermione

Christmas Bells

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King Gee

Bloodmoon Goddess

LadyMartel4000

Uchiha-Aki

Twin

Sakurateodoro

Kagome139

Midnightangel09

Metsfanatic159

MarzSpy

After typing these names, I have one thing to add before I go…guys…I think names should be just a little bit shorter XD and if I did forget to add your name. I'm so sorry there were so many names and sorry if I mistyped your name as well :(


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